Steal My Dreams
by wingedmercury
Summary: Because weddings do weird things to people. The untold story of Sakura and Sasuke.
1. Chapter One: Dreams & Blossoms & Snow

Well, it's been a little while, hasn't it? Since November, actually! Thanks so much to everyone who wrote me lovely messages and reviews in the interim. I'm on summer break now after a bit of a grueling year of school, and I thought I would celebrate by posting one last Naruto fic:)

I recently watched the _Naruto: The Last_ movie and thought to myself: What about Sakura and Sasuke? How in the world do those two finally get together? Also, other questions, like: Was Sasuke at Naruto's wedding? And if he had been...what would he have felt like? Before I knew it, I had an idea for a one shot...and then the one shot became a full length fic with many chapters! I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it:)

This story is set just after _Naruto: The Last_ , so please watch that movie first before reading. And now, without further blah blah blah, my last Naruto fic!

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Chapter One: Dreams & Blossoms & Snow

 _Konohagakure, 3 AM. One day before the wedding._

Sasuke's reflection rippled across a cup of sake, glittering from the bright sunlight. The wind blew a cherry blossom petal over his reflected face, forming concentric circles and obscuring his reflection until he could only make out the vague shape of his black hair, the backdrop of pink blossoms from above. Without removing the petal, he took a sip and gazed around him. Weeping cherry trees swayed in the breeze, casting more fluttering petals into the air and snowing pink as far as he could see.

His eyes fell on Sakura, petals covering her shock of pink hair. "You're quiet today." He tipped back his cup and drained it.

She leaned back against the tree, low branches half-curtaining her with flowers. "Am I?" Chuckling, she refilled their cups, her fingers brushing his when she handed him his sake.

He clinked cups with her and frowned. "What's so funny?"

Tilting her head, she looked up at him with unblinking green eyes. The breeze played in her hair and scattered more petals over her, dotting her red dress with pink and pooling in her lap.

"I suppose it's how content I am. That's what's funny. I know you'll be leaving soon—you always do." She met his startled gaze with a sad smile. "And even though a part of me will do anything for you to stay, another part knows you won't, no matter what I do. And that makes this…" She gestured with her cup at the trees, then at him. "…all the more precious." Setting her sake down, she leaned forward and plucked a flower out of his hair and held it out to him, grinning.

Stunned into silence, he reached out with an unsteady hand to take the flower, but just then the wind gusted and blew it out of his grasp. She laughed at that, and for a moment, the sound of the wind and her laughter seemed to be one rushing sound.

His breath caught, and his throat tightened, though he wasn't sure why. Frowning, he reached up into the overhanging tree and, with a quick slice of a kunai, cut off a long thin branch covered with buds. With a few twists, he curled it into a wreathe, giving Sakura a questioning look before holding it out to her, raising it as if to crown her.

She threw back her head and laughed, shoulders shaking, which only deepened Sasuke's frown. He still didn't get the joke. The breeze whipped back her hair, scattering the flowers that had settled on her. Suddenly, as if he had been caught in a genjutsu, her face dissolved into hundreds of flowers, and the wind blew her away as if she was nothing more than petals.

Heart pounding, he leapt to his feet and called her name, over and over again. No answer. The gust of wind turned into a gale, and the air became so thick with flowers, he could have been caught in a snow storm. He groped blindly about, but still could not find her. Only the faint sound of her laughter could be heard over the wind, drifting somewhere far away from him.

Just as suddenly as the wind had started, it ceased. Sasuke blinked, finding himself on his hands and knees and half-buried in a bank of snow. He lurched to his feet.

"Sakura?!" His voice echoed back to him a hundred times: _Sakura, Sakura, Sakura…_

The cherry blossom trees still surrounded him, but they were starkly bare, branches covered in an inch of snow and not one trace of the flowers that had been there only moments before. He turned in a full circle, still shouting her name. No echoes this time. Only silence. Then a hint of laughter danced on the air, and a breeze stirred, carrying a single pink blossom. It fluttered like a thing alive before dropping in his outstretched hand.

He sat straight up in bed, sweat pouring down his back, blood pounding in his temples. It was only a dream. Had it been a nightmare? He shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts. It didn't make any sense: flowers and snow hadn't been enough to send his heart racing like this, and yet here he was, panting as if he had run for miles.

He staggered out of bed, cursing as he slipped on his clothes. It was well before dawn, but he was wide awake. He never slept well in Konoha; another reason why he rarely came home. Without bothering to light a candle, he padded downstairs and filled the kettle for tea. The crackling fire on the stove and the tinny, percolating _pops_ of the water were the only sounds.

The house was too big, he thought, and not for the first time. It was one of the ready-mades Yamato was famous for, and large because Naruto had insisted on it, despite Sasuke's protests. Besides a few cushions scattered in the living room and the bare cooking essentials in the kitchen, the rooms remained largely empty. Even his bedroom contained only a few changes of clothes and a small, lumpy mattress. He didn't need much. He never stayed long.

Although this visit would be different. He had stayed almost a full week—much longer than he had intended. The plan had been to protect Konoha from falling meteors and then leave. Unfortunately for him, Naruto had decided to get married at the end of the week. The Moron had said that something about the world almost ending had inspired him not to wait but, truth be told, once Naruto figured out he wanted to do something, he did it.

Sighing, he rifled in the dark kitchen for a clean tea cup and found that all were covered in a thick layer of dust. One even contained a dead spider, legs held stiffly up in the air. He shook his head, then busied himself with washing out the worst of the cups, dumping the dead insect down the drain.

Outside, the wind picked up, and clouds banished what little moonlight had illuminated the kitchen. Rain slapped against the windows and lighting flashed. Thunder rumbled, loud enough to shake the window panes. Turning off the tap, Sasuke stared out of the dark windows, afterimages of lightning still flickering on his eyes. He imagined he could see the pond just outside the window, the rain that must be dancing concentric circles across its surface. The image in his mind only exacerbated his mood. Though this house was not his childhood home, it was built close enough in location to make Sasuke feel, at times like these, that it would have been wiser to live elsewhere.

He poured himself tea and retreated to a cushion in the living room to calm his thoughts, but meditation did little to lift his mood. For some reason, the cool calm of the void was broken by fragmented images of cherry blossoms floating on the breeze, and the sound of laughter chiming faintly, as if from far away. By the time he finished, his tea was cold, and the faint light of predawn filtered into the living room. A spider scuttled across the floorboards, leaving a faint trail of footprints in the dust. He thought about swatting it, but instead rose, shrugged on a coat, and left the dark house.

Outside, the tall grass bent low under the weight of watery beads, and tangled bushes shook in the light wind, splattering moisture everywhere. The rain had tapered off and now a thick mist covered everything, obscuring the overgrown meadow that had sprung up over the old Uchiha district. Stepping into the fog was like entering a dense cloud, but he knew the path well enough to walk it without being able to see it. The silhouettes of trees floated by him and he wondered, briefly, if either of his old teammates would be awake, before stalking off to the training grounds alone.

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 _Hope you enjoyed! Will try to post again over the weekend. Until then, please review! :)_


	2. Chapter Two: Love-Sick & Idiots & Ramen

Thanks for all your kind reviews and PM's:) You know, I'm actually a big Sakura fan and I'm pretty happy she and Sasuke got together at the end of the manga. But it still boggles my mind how those two actually will get together in canon land, after everything that's happened between them. What do you think?

Anyhoo, onwards! Enjoy the next chappy:)

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 _Chapter Two: Love-Sick & Idiots & Ramen_

A high-pitched whine broke the silence of the training ground:

"SAS-KEEEE!"

The kunai hovering in mid-air collapsed as Sasuke's concentration broke. Deactivating the Rinnegan, he bit off a curse and glared at the Idiot. "What?" he snapped, more harshly than he had intended.

Naruto glared right back and began picking wax out of his ear. "Come on, Bastard! You promised you would have breakfast with us!" Then he grinned, grabbing Sasuke's arm. "Come on, Sas-keee! I'm so hungry I could die!"

Scowling, he swatted Naruto's hands away and stooped to retrieve his kunai. "All right, but can we get something _besides_ ramen this time?"

From the look Naruto gave him, Sasuke might have well suggested that they spend the morning drowning puppies. Stifling a resigned sigh, Sasuke stuffed his hand in his pocket and followed the Idiot to the village, letting Naruto's mindless babble wash over him. He nodded at the appropriate intervals— _Aren't you excited for the wedding? Don't you think Hinata-chan is the greatest? Do you think it's okay to serve ramen at the reception?—_ but he remained silent, lost in thought.

Sparing a sidelong look at his companion he noticed, not for the first time, how bubbly the Idiot was. There was no other word to describe how Naruto practically skipped while he walked, how his smile constantly threatened to split his face in two. The man was positively glowing with joy. This was the happiest he had ever seen Naruto. For some reason though, the thought did not sit well with Sasuke. He wasn't sure why. Of course he'd want the Moron to be happy. It was just…

They entered the village, and his train of thought was broken by the boisterous cries of passersby:

"Hokage-sama!"

"Good morning, Hokage-sama!"

"Can I have your autograph, Hokage- _samaaaaa?"_

He tried to ignore all the cheerful greetings Naruto received with his beaming smile and his trademark "Dattebayo!" Sasuke kept his gaze carefully neutral, looking at a fixed point ahead without really looking at anything, but he still felt his skin prickling uncomfortably. The worst part about this whole encounter was that Naruto was _not_ the Hokage yet, for all that he was assured the job after Kakashi resigned. Still, it bothered him that Naruto didn't correct the villagers. _What an inflated ego the Idiot has,_ Sasuke silently snarled, though what galled him the most was that Naruto probably deserved the praise for having saved the entire world from destruction. Never mind that Sasuke had done his part by saving Konoha from meteors while Naruto was absent...

A younger kunoichi burst out of the crowd and, blushing furiously, planted herself directly in front of Naruto and smiled tremulously. "G-good morning, Hokage-sama!"

With a grin, Naruto reached out and ruffled her hair, causing the younger girl to swoon. If it had even been humanly possible, Sasuke felt his appetite disappearing even more—and not just from the nearby fumes of the ramen stand.

Scowling, Sasuke tapped Naruto's arm. "Come on." It was practically a growl.

"Right!" Naruto replied, smiling so brightly, the sunlight glinting off of his teeth hurt Sasuke's eyes. "It's time for ramen, ramen, ramen! Oh, hey, Hinata-chan's already there." A dopey, glassy-eyed expression passed over his face before he turned to Sasuke and glared. "I can't believe you made us late!"

Sasuke just rolled his eyes as Naruto pulled him to the counter. The waitress slid a steaming bowl of pork ramen with extra shrimp under his nose, and he stared down at it in disgust as Naruto bent down to kiss Hinata hello. He tried to ignore the wet smacking sounds their lips made.

"Enjoy your ramen!" the waitress chirped brightly, handing Sasuke a pair of chopsticks.

He only grunted and rested his forehead in his hand. It had been like this for days now: Sasuke, forced to tag along while Naruto and Hinata sucked face and stared stupidly into each other's eyes. It curdled his stomach.

"Oh, Naruto-kun!" came Hinata's reedy voice. Sasuke looked up in time to see Naruto placing a bowl of ramen between himself and Hinata and handing her a pair of chopsticks. So. This time they would be sharing from the same bowl. Revolting. But from the way Hinata looked at Naruto, nothing could have made her happier. "Th-thank you so much! This is my f-f-favorite,"

Sasuke leveled her an unbelieving stare, but before he could say anything, Naruto cooed, "I know honey. When we're married, I'll make you ramen every day!"

Hinata blushed, beaming up at him. "That would be w-w-wonderful!"

When he stooped to kiss her again, Sasuke squeezed his eyes shut and shoved his chopsticks away in disgust. "Where's Sakura?" The only thing worse than ramen for breakfast was Naruto and Hinata making love-sick eyes at each other as they slurped their noodles.

As if in answer to his question Sakura trotted into view, still wearing hospital scrubs. Her pink hair, usually so tidy, was in disarray. There were dark rings under her eyes, but there was also a rosy tint to her cheeks, and she was smiling widely.

"Sorry I'm late guys," she said, sitting beside Sasuke. "I was covering the night shift for Ino. Seems like she's on some top-secret mission with Sai." She leaned forward and leveled Hinata a meaningful look as the waitress offered her a bowl. "Thanks for dinner, Naruto-kun!"

"Itadakimasu!" Naruto managed around a mouth full of noodles.

Sasuke shoved his ramen around in his bowl but did not take a bite. "You seem happy, Sakura." Happy wasn't quite the right word—she was practically glowing. But he wasn't about to tell her that. It would seem…like he was paying too much attention to her appearance.

She frowned. "I _am_ happy, Sasuke-kun." Then she turned to Naruto and Hinata, her smile returning. "I helped deliver a baby!"

Hinata _oohed_ and _ahed_ , and the two women proceeded to talk over his and Naruto's heads about the delivery. If Sasuke had not had an appetite before, now he was decidedly queasy.

"…It was a long labor, but by the time the baby crowned, she delivered without any complications. A sweet little girl," Sakura crooned, still beaming.

"How beautiful," Hinata murmured, a dreamy look in her cloudy white eyes. Sasuke grimaced. He was sure she was thinking about getting pregnant right then and there. The thought tied his stomach in knots. "D-don't you think so, N-naruto-kun?"

To his surprise—and great amusement—it seemed as though a dumpling had gone down the wrong pipe, because Naruto couldn't stop coughing. "Wonderful," he gasped, doubled over and red faced. While Hinata fussed over him and poured him a glass of water, Sakura turned to Sasuke, a frown replacing her smile once again.

"Are you feeling all right, Sasuke-kun?" Her eyes creased in concern, and she moved to lay a hand on his forehead, but he brushed her away.

"Fine," he said, forcing himself to take a small bite of ramen. It tasted like damp salty cardboard.

Her eyes remained on him a moment longer, but she didn't say anything else. For the rest of the meal, Sasuke remained silent while Sakura and Hinata spoke over his head again, mostly gushing about the upcoming wedding. Sasuke pushed his congealing noodles away, and willed breakfast to be over quickly.

After Naruto and Hinata downed three helpings of ramen—he had to admit, the girl did seem to like the stuff almost as much as Naruto—the two lovesick idiots scampered away to take care of "wedding things," as they put it, leaving Sasuke alone with Sakura…

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 _Thanks for reading and please, review;)_


	3. Dates & Weddings & Threats

Thanks for the reviews friends:) Has anyone read the end of Naruto Gaiden yet? And if you did, are you as pissed as I am? Talk about not filling in your plot holes. *grumbles*

Anyhoo, hope you are having a great 4rth of July, if you celebrate, and a nice weekend regardless. Hope you enjoy the update!

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 _Chapter 3: Dates & Weddings & Threats_

Sakura glanced at Sasuke over her bowl of ramen as she drank the rest of her broth, her expression unreadable. He looked down at the counter, searching for something to say. "Those two are disgusting," he blurted out at last. Sakura's frown deepened.

"They're in love, Sasuke-kun." She set her bowl down with a _clink_ , her deliberately casual tone setting off warning bells in Sasuke's head.

Too late to stop now, he kept going. "I understand that Sa-ku-ra," he replied, unable to mask his irritation. "But why do they have to fawn over each other like that? It's…" He was about to say _revolting_ , but at Sakura's darkening expression, stopped himself short. "It's indecent. They can't keep their hands off each other, even in public."

Sakura just sighed, placing an elbow on the counter and leaning her face onto her palm, giving him a sideways look. "I'm tired," she said, and she really did look it: the color that had been in her cheeks a moment ago seemed to have vanished, and the rings under her eyes seemed twice as dark. She shoved herself off the stool and offered him a tight smile. "See you later, Sasuke-kun."

Her eyes seemed to glitter, but she turned away before he could really be sure. Was she tearing up? Cursing himself, he caught up to her. "I'll walk you home."

Her smile reached her eyes this time. "Thank you."

After that, Sasuke couldn't figure out anything else to say, and so they remained in silence. Which was safer. But also felt awkward. His skin prickled again, and he walked hunched over, his hand stuffed into his pocket.

She stopped suddenly. "Thanks for walking me home, Sasuke-kun."

He hid his surprise, realizing that they were already at her house. "Are you going to the rehearsal dinner tonight?" he asked, keeping all inflection out of his voice.

Her lips curved in a smile. "Of course I am." Then the smile faded and she looked down at her shoes. He racked his brain, trying to figure out what he had done to make her upset this time, when she looked up again, grim determination sparking in her green eyes.

Funny, some floating part of Sasuke's brain thought, but he didn't remember her eyes being so green. Like the new spring grass sparkling with rain.

"Will you be my date, Sasuke-kun? For the wedding I mean… Just so we can sit next to each other at the rehearsal—and the wedding—as friends!" she completed, all in one breath. For some reason, Sasuke thought she looked panicked, though of course, that would be foolish. Sakura could pummel earth into dust. She wouldn't panic over what was a _perfectly reasonable question,_ he told himself firmly.

"It would be better than sitting alone," he said slowly, then cursed himself when her eyes looked downcast again. "I mean…" He cleared his throat. "Yes. That would be…a good idea."

If only there was a jutsu where the earth could swallow him whole.

"Great!" Sakura smiled up at him. "I'll be wearing red and black." She gave his hand a squeeze then walked up to her house, opened the door, and disappeared from sight.

He shook his head. What had he just agreed to? And why did he have to know what colors she was going to wear? Kami, did they have to _match_? Suddenly, he felt like his feet were no longer touching the ground—the world was spinning around him—though of course, he knew he was standing perfectly still.

Just two more days in Konoha, he reminded himself, gritting his teeth. Then he would be out on missions again gathering intel for Kakashi-sensei—the Seventh Hokage, he reminded himself. Though the thought of Kakashi, wearing the official garb of the Hokage, nose-deep in his little orange book, was an incongruous image.

As he turned to leave, a sharp _slap_ on the back brought him back to the present, and he wheeled around, facing Kiba and Lee.

"What do you two…want?" he practically growled. Only by force of will did he omit the word _losers._

Kiba really did growl, while Lee shot Sasuke a half-apologetic, half-suspicious look. The warring expression did not fit well on his usually blank face.

"Sorry to bother you, Sasuke-san—"

"You listen here, asshole—"

Both men started and stopped at the same time. Lee leveled Kiba a reproving look, and the latter forced what Sasuke supposed was meant to be a polite smile, though looked more like a barring of teeth.

"Remember," Lee whispered, though it was more than loud enough for Sasuke to hear, "let me do the talking."

When Kiba nodded, Lee cleared his throat and ran a hand through slicked-back hair. "Sorry to bother you, Sasuke-san, but I was wondering if I heard correctly: did you just ask Sakura-san to the wedding?"

Sasuke blinked. The other man's wide, child-like eyes sparkled with unshed tears, and his bottom lip trembled. "Actually…" Sasuke choose his words carefully. "…I think she asked me."

Lee opened his mouth. Closed it. Then opened it again, but no words came out, only a strangled, high-pitched whine. Sasuke looked between Lee and Kiba's faces when irritation threatened to overcome him. He really did not have time for this…this…whatever _this_ was.

"Is there a problem here?" Sasuke asked, coolly arching an eyebrow. Lee's bottom lip trembled precariously before the man started bawling, tears coursing like raging rivers down his cheeks.

Kiba took a menacing step forward. "Listen, asshole…" He moved as if to grab Sasuke's collar but, one look at his expression made him stop short. Growling low in his throat, he muttered, "If you make her cry—if you even _look_ at her the wrong way—you'll have us to answer to."

Sasuke blinked. Had these two just been…stalking him? No, he amended. They had probably been stalking Sakura again. The two idiots seemed to watch over Sakura like hawks—or mother hens—popping up at the most inopportune times. He had asked Sakura about it, but she had only smiled weakly and evaded answering his questions. He supposed that they must be interested in her. Which only served to irritate him further, though he told himself it was only because he didn't want his teammate dating a loser like Lee or Kiba.

He glared at the two ninja, then quirked a smile. "Did you two ask Sakura? And did she turn you down?" Not that he cared. He could have added that he and Sakura would be going as friends, but he felt no need to mention it.

If it was even possible, Lee began sobbing harder, his mournful cries filling the air. Kiba rounded on Sasuke until they were almost nose to nose, barring his fangs in a snarl. "I swear, if you hurt her, I _will_ kill you."

Sasuke actually took a step back, then caught himself and forced his features to remain smooth. Of course, it would be a cold day in hell when Kiba could evenly match him, but something in the other man's words rang true.

It seemed like all he ever did was hurt Sakura, some small voice whispered in his head. Even when he was trying—and failing—to be nice to her. He didn't know why it always worked out that way, only that it did. Another reason to spend as little time in the village as possible, he thought, disgusted with himself.

Sasuke glared at Kiba. He didn't know what made him angrier: that Kiba was right, or that Sakura really would be better off taking either of these two losers as her date. "Good," was all Sasuke said, keeping his tone inflectionless. He moved to turn away, but Kiba really did grab him by the collar this time.

"The hell?!" he snarled, spittle flecking Sasuke's cheek.

He looked at Kiba with loathing and, though he only had one arm and the cretin was holding him firmly with two, Sasuke twisted out of his grasp and smacked his hands away. "I meant what I said." He was surprised at how calm his own voice sounded. "If I hurt her, kill me. You swore you would, didn't you?"

Kiba stumbled back. "I…"

Sasuke took Kiba's moment of confusion to walk away. When they didn't stop him, he smirked to himself and headed back down the main street. Gods, but he was tired of these loud-mouthed idiots. It was bad enough he had had to attend the academy with them; and now here he was, being manhandled by the same dweebs who used to skip class to read manga.

Inwardly fuming, it was a few moments before Sasuke saw the familiar signs of his passage. Children scuttled away from his approach, hiding behind their mothers' skirts while their mothers eyed him fearfully and backed away, slowly, as if he would not notice. Shop keepers who had been hawking their wares only moments before went suddenly quiet and pretended to be deeply engrossed in their ledgers or in weighing out goods. One man even cursed loudly and ducked behind a counter to hide.

Sasuke trained his eyes straight ahead of him, pretending not to see. He should have used shushin to go home, he thought, but now it was too late. The only thing to do was to continue walking like he belonged here, though he and the villagers knew he did not.

 _I'll read a book today_ , he decided, concentrating on that same, imaginary spot just ahead of him. It would be a good way to waste the time until Naruto decided he needed him again. If he did need him…

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 _Thanks for reading! Please review:)_


	4. Sleep & Snow & Yellow Roses

Well life has been a crazy ride this past month. There was a huge fire in our county and we had to evacuate our house for a little while, but thankfully, all is well now. I have to say, I am really looking forward to winter now...!

One reviewer asked: "BTW what are the plot holes exactly in the naruto gaiden chaps?" An excellent question. This plot hole: after Kishi trolls us for weeks about who Sarada's mother is, the only explanation we get of Sasuke and Sakura's relationship is one short panel—from KARIN of all people! I mean, NaruHina gets a whole feature length movie, and the only clue we get about how SasuSaku happens is one measly panel between Karin and Suigetsu. I ask you people, are you satisfied with this? *Fumes off in a corner*

Gosh darn it, if SasuSaku is going to be canon, I think we deserve more. Guess that's why I write this fanfiction stuff:)

Without further ado, thanks for all your reviews and PM's and please enjoy!

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Chapter Four: Sleep & Snow & Yellow Roses

Sakura bit her lip as she peered through the window curtains down to the street below. It seemed as though Kiba and Lee were speaking with Sasuke and, by the looks of Sasuke's grimace and Kiba's snarl, it was not going well.

Kiba and Lee were were never far from her when Sasuke was around. At first, it had only been Lee hanging about her, which had been fine. She liked and respected the man, for all of his goofy quirks, and he had always been polite with Sasuke. He had never done more than kept an eye on her. Which was unnecessary, and a little weird…but also kind of endearing. She wasn't sure exactly when Kiba had joined Lee, or why, but the sight of them—dropping in on her while she was on shift at the hospital or "casually" passing by her house even though both lived at opposite ends of the town—had become commonplace whenever Sasuke returned to the village.

When Kiba grabbed Sasuke by the collar, she winced and drew the curtains shut, unable to watch any longer. She would have to talk to them. Their concern about her was becoming much more like…well, she wouldn't use the word "stalking," that was too creepy. But she was beginning to feel like she was being kept under lock and key!

She fell onto her bed and giggled then, knowing she was being silly but not quite bringing herself to care. Maybe she was just overtired, but it did feel nice to have men fighting over her. Even if she had no interest in two of them, and the other…

Sasuke. She wondered how long he would remain in the village this time. Could she dare to hope that he would stay more than just a few days? That he would spend more time with her? She scowled at herself for being foolish—she was no longer the needy, nagging girl she had been, always crying and begging him to pay attention to her. She understood that he had his duties, and that those responsibilities often kept him outside the village.

But it was more than that. She knew he wasn't comfortable in the village. He called it his home—he always came to defend it in times of need, as the recent events had proven. Kakashi-sensei was still alive because Sasuke had returned, and that fact brought a warm smile to her lips. But she saw how he walked down the street when he thought she wasn't watching: like a soldier patrolling enemy territory. Like a vacant-eyed robot.

"Enough," Sakura groaned, curling up in bed. She was obsessing again. Trying to fix Sasuke's life for him, trying to figure out a way…a way for him to be happy.

… _A way for him to be with you_ , some matter-of-fact voice pointed out in her mind.

Sakura pulled the covers up over her head and forced her eyes shut. It was proof of how tired she was that she fell asleep almost instantly.

She stood in a wintry landscape, moonlight silvering undulating hills and sparkling on the falling snowflakes. She pulled the fur-lined hood of her cloak up tightly around her head and walked, her footsteps the only mark on the deep snow. In the deep silence, the crunch of her feet sounded too loud in her ears.

Snow seeped in over the tops of her boots where the banks were deceptively high and she shivered, though not from cold alone. The land around her was empty, but she felt like she was being watched. It was eerie. Worst of all, she knew she was looking for something, but what that something was eluded her, danced on the tip of her awareness and left with a gust of icy wind.

Snow dusted her head and shoulders and blew in through the openings of her coat, no matter how she drew it shut. Scanning the unforgiving whiteness for some sign of life, she whirled around as a shadowy form drew her eye.

She hurried forward, her heart pounding. With every crunch of her boots, the form became larger, more defined, until she could make out the curve of a shoulder, a bent head.

"Sasuke?" she called, not knowing how she knew it was him, only that she did. No response. "…Sasuke-kun?"

Creeping closer, the familiar planes of his face became clear, but his skin looked as pale as the snow, and his black eyes gazed lifelessly out of deep sockets.

Stumbling forward, she reached out to him—and as her hand brushed his cold cheek, he vanished, leaving nothing but falling snow in his wake. Half-running, half-tripping through the snow, unconscious of the icy trickles seeping in to her boots, she called his name over and over again. Only the wind howled in response.

Her breath came in shallow gasps now. Hopelessly, she trudged onward until she glimpsed a dark form—it was Sasuke. Staggering through the tall banks, the wind whipped back her hood and stung her cheeks. She hardly noticed. Her eyes were fixed on Sasuke, his lifeless eyes staring blankly ahead, standing as still as a statue. It was as if he was frozen.

She halted in front of him, one arm raised as if to touch him but not daring to. If she reached out to him, he might disappear again.

"…Sasuke?" she whispered, a puff of mist leaving her lips. Panic threatened to overwhelm her. Was he dead? She crept closer, then sagged with relief. His chest rose and fell in steady, if shallow, breaths. However, his skin was so pale now it was almost translucent. She waved a hand in front of his face. He didn't even blink.

"Sasuke-kun—I love you," she blurted out, feeling heat rising to her cheeks. He continued to stare ahead without seeing her. "You don't have to live like this…" She blinked back tears. "I'm here, Sasuke-kun. Can't you see me? I'm right here!"

His lips opened, but no sound came out. Only a great sigh, fanning out around his face like smoke. A wind came, blinding her with snow, and when it cleared, he was gone again.

 _Sakura… Sakura? Sa-ku-ra!_

"Sasuke-kun!" she shouted, her voice echoing hysterically in the empty air. "Sasuke-kun, come back! Sasuke!"

Abruptly, she sat up in bed, then hissed as her head met something with a loud _thwack._ Stars danced across her vision.

"Kami, Sakura! It's just me!" She blinked, and her vision cleared enough to see Ino rubbing her forehead as she glowered down at her.

Sakura held her own head in her hands and with a wince, funneled healing chakra into her aching skull. "Sorry. I must have been having a nightmare or something." She shivered realizing that the window had blown open while she had slept. Light rain fell outside, and icy air gusted over her, raising goosebumps over her skin where the twisted covers had left her bare.

"You're freezing, Sakura-chan," Ino said, rubbing Sakura's shoulders before closing the window. "For a medical ninja, you take terrible care of yourself."

Sakura waved the comment away and pushed aside the rest of the covers, springing out of bed with an alertness she did not feel. "I'm fine," was all she said, rummaging through the pile of clothes on the floor for something clean—or at least, mostly clean. She was usually fastidious about being tidy, but the past post-apocalyptic week had left her too exhausted to maintain her usual order. After facing a madman who lived in the moon and rescuing earth from certain destruction, then spending the better part of the last few days in the hospital healing those who had been injured from falling meteors, simple things like doing laundry and cleaning her room had been neglected.

Instead of arguing with her, Ino sat on the bed and practically purred. "I heard you finally asked Sasuke-kuuuun to be your date for the wedding. Kami, were you going to wait until five minutes before the event?"

Sakura paused with her shirt over her head, her arms momentarily tangled in inside-out sleeves. So everyone already knew. Well, she thought to herself, how could they not when she had two guards looking over her shoulder every minute and a busybody for a best friend? "Actually," she said, forcing the shirt on, though it still hung at an uncomfortable angle, "he brought it up first."

Ino leaned forward and gave Sakura's shirt a sharp tug to straighten it. "Did he? Maybe the man's not as emotionally constipated as I thought. For all I knew, he was going to sit alone like a lump of ice during the ceremony."

Ino's words chilled Sakura, though she wasn't sure why. She forced her voice to remain calm. "You know I would have ended up sitting with him anyway."

The other girl sighed, leaning her head into her hands. "When are you ever going to learn? No one buys the cow when the milk is for free. And don't give me that look," she groused at Sakura's unbelieving stare. "You know exactly what I mean."

"How was your mission with Sai?" Sakura asked, changing the subject. Though she had healed her head from the collision with Ino, there was something unsettling left over from the bad dream, and she wanted to forget it quickly. "Did you have any trouble convincing the woman?"

"Oh, the florist? Well, it was hard to get her to part with so many roses this time of year, but we managed. I mean, Hinata did practically save the entire world—if she wants to revive the old custom for couples to exchange flowers before her wedding, who could say no?Oh Sakura," she gushed, "isn't it so romantic!"

Sakura frowned at Ino, though she secretly agreed with her. It was an old wedding tradition in Konoha that wedding guests exchange flowers with their dates, usually different colored roses, to subtly communicate how they felt about one another. Most common were red roses for true love, white for purity of heart, and pink for sweetness. Ino and Sai had been sent to countless florists to procure enough flowers so that everyone who attended the wedding could wear a blossom in their lapel or tucked into their hair.

However glad she was that Hinata's wedding plans would come to fruition, she knew that at best, she could expect a yellow rose from Sasuke to signify friendship—if she got any flower from him at all. The thought of so many happy couples decked in red roses made her stomach churn. "But it is impractical for this time of year to find so many hothouse flowers. And you have to admit, no one has followed that old custom for years."

Ino rolled her eyes but otherwise ignored her. "Well, it was hard to convince her, but the florist couldn't resist having a professional portrait thrown into the bargain. Sai's an amazing painter," she breathed, twirling a strand of blonde hair around an index finger. "On the way home, he even suggested that I come over sometime to model for him." Ino giggled behind her hands.

"Well that sounds nice," Sakura said cautiously, hauling on her boots.

Ino's giggle gained in pitch. "Naked modeling."

Sakura dropped a boot and gaped at her.

"For the sake of art," Ino proclaimed, flouncing off the bed, "I would suffer much."

Sakura squeezed her eyes shut. "Some things I would have been better off not knowing…"

"Come, my little cherry blossom," Ino said, handing Sakura a styrofoam cup full of steaming cup of tea, "what we need are facials!" She patted Sakura's cheek. "Wait. _Massages,_ and then facials. Wait!" she cried, twirling in a circle.

Sakura's lips twitched in a smile, despite herself. "Sauna, then massages, then facials." She checked her watch and then frowned. "Do we have time? We need to get our hair and makeup done too." Even if it was only a rehearsal dinner, Sakura knew the photographer would be at this phase of the wedding festivities as well. And, a small voice whispered in her head, she did want to look good for Sasuke. Even if they were just going as friends…

"We have all the time in the world my dear," Ino said, taking her arm with one hand and scooping up her own cup of tea in the other.

* * *

 _Thanks for reading and please review:)_


	5. Makeup & Rain & Ceremony

Welcome back friends! Thanks for your awesome reviews:) A few of my reviewers pointed out that Sasuke is a bit cold in this fic; that's a good point. I imagine that, as his best friend is getting married he must feel weird and out of place in the village, so a lot of his more reserved (and socially awkward!) actions are coming from his own feelings about himself. Don't worry, this is a SasuSaku fic, and Sasuke genuinely does love Sakura. But think about what a long road they would have to travel to get from point A—Sasuke is a bit crazy and tries to kill Sakura a few times, to point B—Sasuke is actually a nice human being and father. He's just a reserved dude. I mean, come on, his first real sign of affection to Sakura is a finger poke to the head T-T. The guy has a lot to learn about love, and this is the beginning of the road!

Sigh. There I go over analyzing fictional characters again. Without further ado...

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Chapter Five: _Makeup & Rain & Ceremony_

Hours later, Sakura sagged against the reclining spa chair, relishing the feel of the cucumbers on her eyes and the multiple layers of goop pulling the skin taut over her face. After being steamed in the sauna and then pummeled by the masseuse, she felt like a limp noodle, all tension drained out of her body.

"We are going to look so fabulous," Ino sighed, sipping some kind of green liquid through a straw so as not to upset her facial mask. "My future children will gaze at these photos of me, many years from now when I am old and gray, and will ask me why I did not give up my illustrious ninja career to become a movie star."

Sakura snorted. "You mean your children with Sai? Why, they could just look at the nude paintings of you and—"

"Sakura-chan," Ino interjected hurriedly, "you should take tonight as an opportunity."

She knew where this was going. Her shoulders clenched, and a familiar feeling of dread rested in the pit of her stomach. "Ino?" she asked, her voice sounding weary and strained, even to her. "Can we not do this now?"

Ino remained quiet for a long time. Sakura forced her shoulders to relax and went back to concentrating on the cucumbers on her eyes.

"Sakura-chan," she said at last in that deliberate, quiet way she used when she was genuinely worried, "you know I'm always here for you."

Sakura couldn't stop her smile, though it cracked her mask. "I know you are, Ino. Thank you."

"It's just…" Ino took a final slurp of her drink, then set the glass down with a _clink_. "How long are you going to suffer for that man?" Another pause. No need to say which man she was talking about. "It's just… It's been two years now after the war, and the man doesn't seem like he's ever going to settle down. For the few days a year he's home in the village, he never spends much time with you, and when he does, he hardly says a word. Sorry," she said, cutting her tirade short.

Ino had said too much, but she had said it all. "I don't know, Ino-chan," was all Sakura said. Exhaling sharply, she peeled the cucumber slices off of her eyes to find that Ino was looking at her with concern. "I think…" She bit her lip, trying to find the right words. "You know, being on that mission with Naruto, watching him with Hinata… I think I learned something."

Ino arched an eyebrow, sending little cracks through her mud mask. "Like what?"

Sakura turned away from her and settled back against the lounge chair, looking up at the tiled ceiling. "I think I understand how clueless Sasuke must be about…" she couldn't bring herself to finish the sentence. It felt too cheesy, too revealing; too raw.

"…About love," Ino finished for her. "Well. How does that change anything?"

She bit her lip. "It changes everything," Sakura murmured. "…And, it changes nothing."

"And here we are," Ino said sadly.

"Here we are."

#

Her hair was upswept in a bun, and she wore just a touch of makeup—enough to make it look like she wasn't wearing any, that her eyes naturally had darker lashes and her lips were always this shade of red. Ino had taken a bolder approach with her own cosmetics, but Sakura liked a subtler look.

Then again, as she stared out of the living room window, perhaps she should not have been this subtle—at least not with Sasuke.

"He's late," her mother said, hands on hips and frowning out into the deepening night. "Are you sure you don't want to come with us?"

Sakura shook her head, watching rivulets of rain trickle down the window pane.

Her father laid a hand on her shoulder and gave her a squeeze. "We don't mind waiting, honey…"

She shook her head again, more emphatically than before, and forced herself to smile up at her parents. Sasuke was probably waiting for her parents to leave before he arrived, she told herself; he never quite knew what to say to them, and the only other times he had met them, Naruto had been present as a buffer. That must be it.

"Please go on ahead of me," she said, meeting their concerned eyes with what she hoped was a confident expression. "I promise, I'll leave in the next five minutes, no matter what."

Her parents shared a look, then nodded, slowly. "We'll save you a seat," was all her mother said, though Sakura could tell from her tone that she was worried. And angry, too.

"Thank you," was all Sakura said, forcing herself not to bite her lip so that she did not ruin her lipstick.

She heard the _click_ of the door closing behind them and their faint footsteps going down the steps. Then she watched their forms, obscured by a single umbrella, disappearing down the street.

"He's never late," she told herself, tapping lacquered fingernails on the windowsill. Had she been clear that she wanted him to pick her up? Was it too late to run to his place? Kami, she would look like a fool if she arrived late, and by herself…

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door, and Sakura jumped, her heart seeming to leap up into her throat. Forcing herself to take a deep breath, she smoothed down her dress and walked, slowly, to the door.

"Sasuke-kun," she called brightly, a tight smile stretching her lips. "I was getting worried…" Her eyes searched his.

Sasuke scowled down at the ground while hiding his hand behind his back. "Sorry," he grumbled, meeting her gaze at last with a carefully neutral expression. "Ino insisted on—" He broke off abruptly and grunted. "I mean—never mind…"

Sakura tilted her head and regarded him quizzically, but did not press him. "You look nice, Sasuke-kun," she said, changing the subject. She shouldn't have told him she was worried. She had started the evening off on the wrong foot, and she desperately cast about for something else to say, but the words died in her throat.

Sasuke did look nice. Actually, despite his eternally-tousled hair poking out in every direction, he looked quite handsome. He wore a black silk kimono tied with a red belt, with just the hint of his clan sigil embroidered on the long sleeves with silver thread. Something about the formal clothing's elegance enunciated the grace with which he always carried himself. The deep black set off his eyes, making them look more intense than usual. Suddenly, Sakura realized that she had been staring at him, and she looked away hurriedly, a blush staining her cheeks.

"You…ah…" Sasuke cleared his throat. Her eyes darted back to his. "Here," he said at last, his arm swooping out from behind his back to shove something at her. "Ino will kill me if I don't give this to you…" He bit his lip, seeming to regret his words, but Sakura only noticed briefly; she was too busy staring down at the rose he held out to her, twined around a polished wooden hair pin.

It was the purest white at the center, as white as snow, while the tips of the petals were the faintest blue. Blue, Sakura thought. It was impossible to be Ino's friend and to not know what the colors of roses meant. Blue was for something unobtainable, and white for purity. It was the kind of flower more appropriate for a funeral, Sakura thought sadly. Keeping her face free of expression, she bowed her head. Her arms were shaking, and she did not trust herself to pin the flower in her hair.

Wordlessly, Sasuke slid the ornament in her bun. He was muttering to himself, but Sakura managed to pick out a few words: _Stupid idea. Ino's fault._

When he was finished, Sakura turned to look at herself in the hall mirror. The blue flower contrasted strangely with her sleeveless red dress and its black-embroidered roses. It somehow made the red look paler on her.

"It doesn't match your dress," Sasuke grumbled, not meeting her gaze.

"I can change," Sakura offered, speaking slowly so that her emotions would not leak through. "I didn't realize you were wearing a kimono…"

Sasuke shook his head. "You look fine," he snapped. "Let's just go."

Sakura closed her eyes, feeling the heat rush into her cheeks again. "Hold on," she managed in an even voice, turning away from him quickly. She trotted into the dinning room where a single red rose sat on a silver tray. Eyeing it sadly, she cupped her hands around it and slowly walked back to where Sasuke stood in the doorway, his arm folded against his broad chest.

She offered it to him without a word. She wanted to apologize; she wondered if she should have left the cursed thing on the tray. But everyone would be wearing a rose tonight, and if Sasuke didn't have one…

She didn't know why she cared. Raising her eyes to meet his, she lifted the rose to the collar of his kimono and pinned it on herself when he did not move.

"Red," he said, his lips moving slowly.

"To match your kimono," she replied, forcing another tight-lipped smile. She stepped back from him and folded her arms behind her. "You look very handsome, Sasuke-kun."

"You look handsome too—I mean…" he trailed off, horrified.

Sakura laughed then, and some of the tension broke. Taking his arm, she let him lead her down the steps and out into the quiet street. They would have to hurry; it seemed like everyone else was already there, Sakura thought worriedly, chewing the inside of her cheek. Sasuke seemed to think the same, because he walked briskly. Though she was wearing heels, she matched her pace to his, her arm still looped through his.

They walked in silence for a long time. The shifting colors of twilight dyed everything a deep blue, and the sky was filled with dark clouds, though the rain had stopped for the moment. The weather seemed to fit Sakura's mood. Unconsciously, she touched the blue rose in her hair and suppressed a sigh. _He's right next to me,_ Sakura thought, _and he still feels like miles away._

By the time they reached the Hyuga estate, a chill wind had picked up, making Sakura wish she had brought her coat. Sasuke, however, seemed untouched by the change in weather. Face a perfect mask of equanimity, she would be hard pressed to guess what he might be thinking.

"They've probably started already," Sasuke grumbled, leading her through a tall wrought-iron gate. "If only Ino hadn't—" He broke off again suddenly, and Sakura eyed him sideways. That was the second time he had complained about that.

"If only Ino hadn't what?" she asked, hitching up her dress as Sasuke increased his pace.

"She didn't want to give me that flower," Sasuke said in a careful tone, avoiding her eyes. "She said it wouldn't match your outfit."

"…Why did you choose it, then?" she asked, equally careful. Anyone overhearing might think they were discussing something as simple as the weather, judging from their tone; only Sakura could hear her heart beating in her ears, and sweat trickled down the small of her back, for all that it was cold enough outside to snow.

When he didn't answer, Sakura turned to study their surroundings. Paper lanterns bobbed on the icy wind, casting golden light over the darkening path. Crocuses lined the walkway, their yellow and blue buds almost ready to bloom. She touched the flower in her hair again and gave a start, drawing her hand away quickly, as if burned.

"…Why did you give me red?" he asked, with equal slowness. She shied away from his piercing gaze.

Pressing her lips together in a thin line, she said nothing. The faint sound of laughter and music could be heard up ahead, and it made the awkward silence between them seem all the more strained.

 _Because I love you,_ she wanted to say, but she caught herself and stifled the words. "Red is a nice color for you," she said at last, and cursed herself for sounding like a fool.

"My mother…liked blue roses," was all he said, his eyes trained straight ahead. It was the kind of expression he wore when he walked down crowded streets, avoiding all gazes; the patrolling soldier in enemy territory.

Sakura started at his words, but hid it as best she could. Then she smiled softly, and squeezed Sasuke's arm. "I like them too," she said, and she wasn't sure if it was her imagination or not, but she thought Sasuke smiled, though it was too dark to really tell without staring at him.

The strains of music grew louder, and a canvass tent loomed larger, yellow light streaming out from its broad entrance. Cherry trees lined the perimeter, their stark branches filled with buds about to burst into bloom, standing as high as the tent's tall windows. The peaked ceiling was so high, it seemed to disappear into the dark sky. The thing was as big as the Hokage's tower, Sakura thought, and when she told Sasuke, he snorted.

"The Idiot invited the whole village and more besides," he muttered, and Sakura laughed, though it was strained.

"You guys finally made it!" Naruto bellowed, rushing out to meet them.

"Tsk. Shouldn't you be getting ready for the ceremony?" Sasuke practically hissed when Naruto tried to drag him inside by his sleeve.

"And how can I do that without my best man?" Naruto whined.

Sasuke arched an eyebrow. "I thought this was a traditional wedding…?"

"It is, it is," Naruto hurried. "The ceremony's traditional, but you are still part of the ceremony. You too, Sakura-chaaan!" And without further ado, he grabbed both of their arms and practically hauled them inside.

* * *

 _Thanks for reading and please, review:)_


	6. Rehearsal & Dinner & Parents

Wow, sorry for the long wait. I kept working and reworking this chapter, and finally, decided to stop OBSESSING about it and just publish. Special thanks to all those reviewers who kept poking me to update.

So I have to share this: the best thing happened to me in school! I found someone who is even more obsessed with Naruto than I am. And thus, I have a date for the opening day of the Boruto movie. You have no idea how excited I am. No. Idea. Anyone else bought their tickets yet? :) #HappyNerdyFunTimes

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Chapter 6: Rehearsal & Dinner & Parents

If Sakura thought the tent for the reception looked big from the outside, once inside she realized it dwarfed the Hokage's tower—and maybe even the Hokage's monument. She could barely make out the far wall over the sea of people crammed inside, and it was so warm from the presence of so many that the chill of the evening left her at once. Beads of sweat sprang up on her forehead, and she prayed her concealer would not smudge as she stumbled after Naruto to a raised platform in the center of the tent. The priest leveled them a sour look before tugging his white beard and clamoring for quiet.

"Naruto, I thought this was a practice dinner—not your actual _wedding_ ," Sakura whispered, eyeing the crowd. "Why are there so many people?"

"I didn't want to leave anyone out, dattebayo" he hissed back, pasting on a smile when the priest shot him a particularly withering look. "Besides, what kind of party would it be if everyone wasn't invited?"

Sakura turned away from him and rubbed her temples. Beside her, Sasuke glowered down at the carpet, his gaze so fierce she worried fire might spring from his eyes and burn the tent down around them. If looks could kill, she thought glumly. She sidled up to him and touched his arm to reassure him, but all he did was grunt in response, not looking up from his study of the floor.

As the room quieted from a roar to a mumble, the priest hobbled over to them and smiled toothily, though it did not reach his eyes. "You two," he said, sniffing when he took in Sakura's outfit, "will pour the sake."

Sakura colored. She had meant to wear a formal kimono for the actual wedding—she had had no idea she was meant to officiate in the ceremony! Tugging up at her strapless dress, she felt sweat trickling down her back.

Sasuke turned his glare from the carpet to the priest. "Don't the shrine maidens usually do that?" he growled.

The priest opened his mouth to speak but it was Naruto who jumped in. "I really really wanted you guys to be a part of the ceremony and I—I mean, we, me and Hinata-chan— _we_ thought this would be a great idea! You know, still traditional, but…" He trailed off when the priest scowled at him.

"We will start by practicing the procession," the priest proclaimed in a high, nasal voice. "Procession leaders?"

Apparently Naruto had also singled out other friends: Ino, Choji and Shikamaru, the latter with chagrined expressions and hunched shoulders, the former with a beaming smile, took their places behind two disgruntled shrine maidens. Dressed in formal red and gold kimono, one maiden played a double-reed flute with an etheric, lilting sound, while the other held a huge instrument with many branching bamboo reeds, a long monotonous drone buzzing out of it. Wincing, Sakura restrained herself from plugging up her ears with her fingers; she never had liked traditional wedding music. To her, it had always sounded more like a funeral dirge than something for a happy occasion.

Naruto turned to Sakura and Sasuke with a half-apologetic, half-triumphant look before scampering off towards the bride to be. Hinata stood at the head of the procession dressed all in white, the traditional white hood half-covering her face. When she caught sight of Naruto coming towards her, her smile was as dazzling as the noon-day sun in summer.

Sakura turned to Sasuke, who was still grumbling under his breath. "It's not that bad, Sasuke-kun," she murmured, taking his arm and guiding him to the procession forming about twenty paces away from the stage. "Naruto-kun…always did do things his own way."

They fell into line behind Kakashi and Tsunade who stood in place of Naruto's parents. Kakashi fidgeted with his Hokage's hat as he spoke in an undertone to Hiashi, but he broke off as the droning procession music intensified. Sakura eyed Hiashi curiously. She had never seen the man smile. Usually stern-faced and serious, Hiashi looked positively…joyful. There was no other word for it.

"I wouldn't look that happy if Naruto were about to become my son in law," Sasuke muttered to Sakura under his breath.

She leveled him a stern glare, then barked a laugh at his exasperated grumble. He shot her a pained look then smiled wryly. The priest turned from the head of the line to scowl at her again, and she had to muffle her laughter behind her hands as the old man shook his head and motioned for the practice procession to begin at last.

After promenading the twenty paces back to the dais the rest of the wedding guests sat down, leaving Sakura and Sasuke standing to the side of the platform. Naruto and Hinata ascended the steps slowly, hardly daring to look at each other now—and was it Sakura's imagination, or were Naruto's legs shaking? She grinned. If he was this nervous now, he would be a wreck for the actual wedding. She bit her lip to keep from chuckling.

When the couple finally knelt before him, the priest purified the wedding party by waving the sacred sakaki branch, then recited the long pronouncement of the marriage in a thin nasal voice. Sakura let her mind wonder and watched the wedding couple. Naruto, looking rakishly handsome in a traditional dark kimono, kept sneaking surreptitious grins at Hinata, who blushed and returned his smiles each time, looking very much the part of the beautiful bride. Sakura smiled, a soft sigh escaping her lips. After all the drama involved in getting those two together, they had ended up becoming the perfect couple.

She spared a glance for Sasuke who was looking resolutely in front of him and she wondered if he was taking in any of the proceedings. He looked almost as bored as Kakashi-sensei who sat just before the raised platform with Tsunade and Hiashi on either side, his hands twitching at his sides as if he didn't know what to do without his little orange book. He fidgeted constantly with the hem of his Hokage robes unless Tsunade nudged him with her elbow.

"I said, sake-pourers, get up here," the priest huffed, and Sakura jumped. Sasuke blinked, as if he were just waking up.

"Right," Sakura muttered, nodding with determination at Sasuke. He just gave a resigned shake of his head and followed her up the dais.

"Now listen carefully," the priest said in an undertone, handing two ornate golden pitchers each to Sakura and Sasuke. "This is how it is done." Sakura had been to a few traditional weddings in the past, but she had no recollection of how this part was supposed to go. Apparently, she was to bring the two pitchers together in one "elegant" motion, as the priest put it, feign pouring sake twice without really pouring anything, and then pour smoothly on the third tipping of the pitchers. There was also a lot of bowing involved. Sakura could feel beads of sweat gathering on her forehead again.

"Would you like me to repeat that?" the priest asked, eyeing them both doubtfully.

Sakura licked her lips and shook her head. If she could execute complicated medical jutsu after one demonstration, she could pour some ritual sake.

"Remember to step and pour _together,_ " the priest emphasized, looking even more doubtful.

Sasuke opened his mouth, but Sakura placed a hand on his wrist before he could speak. "We will," she said, offering a tight-lipped smile to the old man.

She and Sasuke muddled through the ritual fairly well. At one point she forgot to feint a second pouring and, when she realized her mistake, poured with extra enthusiasm on the third go and sloshed sake over Hinata's wrist. But besides that one mistake, she hoped she and Sasuke had poured "elegantly," as the priest had insisted.

She gave a relieved sigh when their part was over, and she did her best to ignore Sasuke's grumbling as they retook their seats behind Kakashi and Tsunade. Tsunade gave her a little thumbs up and a wink which made her smile, if only a little.

"Read the vows, boy!" the priest insisted, his shrill voice rising in pitch.

"I told you," Naruto replied back in a whisper loud enough for Sakura to hear, "we'll be reading our _own_ vows."

Another exasperated sigh. "First you do away with the shrine maidens, and now—"

"It will be very personal and beautiful," Hinata's dulcet voice chimed as she laid a hand on the priest's arm. "I am sure Kami-sama will be pleased."

The priest exhaled sharply, deflating. "Very well. Then practice your vows."

"We want to keep them a surprise until the actual ceremony, dattebayo!"

More complaints from the priest, followed by more smoothing over from Hinata, until finally, the couple practiced their Tamagushi offering to Kami. Naruto twirled his sakaki branch a bit less "elegantly" than the priest demanded, instigating more grumbling from the old man, who threw up his hands and said that was enough practice for one day.

Naruto sagged against the altar table, but Hinata patted his hand and murmured something that made him brighten again. "All right!" he said, turning to face the expectant crowd. "Let's eat!"

A roar of applause before long tables at the back of the tent were filled with steaming bowls of—

"Ramen?" Sasuke muttered in disgust.

"What would Naruto's rehearsal dinner be without it?" Sakura asked him, grinning at his scowl. "Come on, we might as well enjoy it." She motioned for him to follow her but, half way to the table she turned around to find he was gone. The crowd swarmed around her, laughing and shouting, and a band started up a lively song with a deep bass beat, distinctly different from the traditional procession music:

" _Yo, yo, a wedding for my bro_

 _His lady is the prettiest you've ever seen, yoooooo!_

 _He saved her from the maniac in the moon,_

 _They better have some children sooooooooon!"_

Deafening applause followed.

Despite herself, she giggled at Bee's horrible rap and lifted a bowl of pork ramen before someone else beat her to it.

"A blue rose," came Ino's familiar voice, sounding almost as disgusted as Sasuke had when he had said "ramen."

Sakura gave a cool shrug. "He said his mother liked them."

Ino arched an eyebrow. "That's not what he told me. He said—"

"Not now, Ino," Sakura interjected, spotting her parents at a nearby table, her red-faced mother waving frantically at her with a cup of sake. To her horror, she saw Sasuke all but being held captive by her scowling father. How was her mother drunk already? And what was her father doing, wagging a rebuking finger at Sasuke? Balancing her bowl of ramen with ninja grace, she strode forward to rescue her date, leaving a complaining Ino behind.

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Thanks for reading, and please, review;)


	7. Interrogation & Intentions & Tea

Hello lovelies! I got to see the Boruto movie in theaters a few weeks ago. It was EPIC! Especially because we got plenty of Sasuke screen time...though of course, Kishi still hasn't explained how Sakura and Sasuke finally end up together :( That's ok. The movie was so awesome, I will forgive him...for now!

Now if only the anime could get over the filler episodes and get back to canon T-T.

Thanks for all your reviews and PM's. Hope you enjoy the latest chappy!

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 _Chapter 7: Interrogation & Intentions & Tea_

"Sa-ku-ra," Sasuke seethed in greeting as she sidled up to the table. Sakura looked between him and her father who looked about ready to pick up his chop sticks and stab Sasuke through the eye.

"Hey," she said, putting her bowl down carefully before scowling at her father. "This is a wedding, not a—"

"I was just asking your _date_ here," her father said, somehow making _date_ sound like _scum_ , "what his intentions are towards you." He speared Sasuke with another glare.

"Otousan! Sasuke-kun and I are good friends. You know that…" She looked to her mother for help.

But her mother leaned back in her chair and leveled Sasuke an icy look. "Well, I don't know about good friends. I remember how much he made you cry when he left the village—"

"Okaasan—" Sakura protested, but it was too late. Once her parents had started something, it was just as well to stop as a boulder rolling down a mountainside.

"Among other things," her mother said darkly. "I don't know if there's another person alive, enemy nin included, who have hurt you as much as—"

"Mom, _really_ ," Sakura interjected, her voice breaking. She forced herself to take a deep, calming breath. "Sasuke and I are _friends,_ " she grated, planting her hands on her hips. "And if you don't remember, Sasuke saved the world during the last war! And he just saved the village from being blown up by meteors!" At their nonplussed expressions she threw up her hands. Before she could say more, her father interjected.

"What I'm interested in," her father said as he bracketed his bowl of ramen with his elbows, leaned his chin into his hands, and stared daggers at Sasuke, "is what your intentions are towards my daughter. Everything else…" He waved a dismissive hand.

Sasuke cleared his throat. All eyes turned to him. Sakura held her breath. "To be honest… I don't know," he said at last, looking perfectly calm.

Her mother banged her empty cup of sake on the table, rattling bowls and silverware. "If she got abducted by an evil warlord from the moon, would you rescue her?"

"Mom," Sakura whined, eyes darting between her parents and Sasuke. "I really don't—"

"…Probably," Sasuke said, his quiet reply cutting her short.

"Probably?!" her father cried, eyebrows creeping up to his receding hairline. "What do you mean, _probably?"_

Sasuke folded his hands in his lap and stared without blinking at her father, looking very much like a statue. "It would depend on the situation. If I had to defend the village, or—"

"So you'd just let her be kidnapped?" her mother shouted, rising from her seat and slamming her fists on the table. She leaned forward to glare at him, her nostrils flared.

Sasuke spread his hands wide, palms up, face still free of any expression. "She's not defenseless. She doesn't need me to rescue her. But if she did, I would. If I could."

Her mother grumbled under her breath and sat back down, only partially appeased. Sakura caught _If you could,_ and, _isn't good enough for my daughter._ She was just about to take advantage of the momentary lull to grab Sasuke and escape, civility to her parents be damned, when her father's next question made her freeze mid-step.

#

Sasuke felt like his skin was crawling with biting ants. He had never realized before that Sakura's parents were crazy. Truly, thoroughly, out-of-their-minds crazy. Nothing they said made any sense to him, and the more he tried to be honest and logical with them, the more they tried to nettle him with impossible questions. He was just about to get up to leave when Sakura's father's question caught him like a blow to the head.

"And if you had to—if you had orders to—would you kill her?"

"Dad!" Sakura sputtered, the blood draining from her face.

"I have a right to know," he huffed. "He's already tried to kill you—twice." He glared at Sasuke and even though the man had no ocular jutsu, Sasuke froze as if impaled. "I want to know if he'll try again."

He tried not to look at Sakura, to train his eyes straight ahead of him and see nothing, but he could not block out her large green eyes filling with tears. He opened his mouth. Closed it. Took a deep, sharp breath, and closed his eyes.

"It was three times, actually," he said, his voice barely loud enough to be heard over the din of the party. "And I'd sooner cut off my remaining arm than hurt your daughter again." Keeping his face a stony mask of indifference, he finished rising from his chair. "If you'll excuse me." He was careful not to look at Sakura, not to look at anyone, as he turned from the table and strided towards the exit.

He didn't blame them, really. What parents would want their only child to be friends with someone like him? He _had_ tried to kill her multiple times.

 _If my parents were alive, I wonder what they would say,_ some small voice thought in the back of his mind. He banished it immediately. His parents were dead. That was the way things were.

Just as he reached the tent flap, he spotted Naruto and Hinata slurping noodles and staring at each other with those love-sick expressions, while Hiashi gazed on approvingly and clinked sake cups with a red-faced Tsunade. No one noticed as he slipped out of the door and into the cool night.

Once he had stalked far enough away from the party, he sagged underneath a cherry tree and looked up at the dark sky. Fat flakes of snow fell slowly and clung to the naked branches, covering the unopened buds with white. The newfound silence seemed to ring with the absence of sound, and as he sighed his breath turned to white mist.

He had to get out of the village. Now. Tonight. _No,_ he reminded himself fiercely. He couldn't miss Naruto's wedding. Attending the rehearsal didn't count. He owed the Moron that much, at least. He would pack tonight and be ready to go as soon as the ceremony was over.

"Sasuke-kun…"

He almost jumped but didn't. The most powerful ninja in the world, so distracted by his thoughts a baby could have snuck up on him and killed him. Then he chided himself. Sakura was a skilled ninja in her own right and no child… But how long had she been standing there?

"I'm sorry," he said, turning away from her, pretending to be engrossed in watching the falling snow.

"You're sorry? I'm the one who should apologize," she said, shivering and wrapping her arms around her bare shoulders.

Sasuke wished he had a coat to give her, but he didn't. "You should go back inside—you look like you're freezing. I was just about to leave, anyway…"

"I'll walk you home," she replied, sounding so hurt he wondered what else he had done wrong.

"Isn't it my job to walk you home?" he asked, trying to smile though he feared he did a poor job of it.

Sakura snorted and began trotting down the snow-dusted path on those ridiculous high-heels. "Come on," she muttered, gesturing for him to follow. Worried she might slip in the snow, he hurried after her. Though he made it seem like he wasn't in a hurry. The last thing he needed was for her to get upset because he thought she couldn't handle stilettos.

Casting a sidelong look at Sakura, he saw her face flushed with color, and he thought she stabbed the ground rather harder than she needed to with her high heels as she pounded down the path. The soft golden light from the lanterns seemed to make her eyes flash with green fire. He let her walk a step ahead of him and remained silent, lost in his own thoughts.

This was silly, really. There was no need to be angry… Sakura's parents were just doing what parents were supposed to do. He had given clear, concise, and logical answers to what were valid questions, if inappropriate to the time and place. Weddings did that to people: hyped up their emotions, made them say things they ordinarily would not. That's why he liked to avoid festivals and happy events; he was a black cloud on what should have been a sunny day.

He told himself that he wasn't upset. He was a man who would do his duty to the village and make up for his past mistakes, all the while knowing that nothing he could do would ever make up for what he had done. Unconsciously, he fiddled with the rose on his collar, watching Sakura as she stomped ahead, her shoes clacking on the cobblestones.

The blue rose seemed to have wilted some from its perch in her hair, her bun once so neatly tied now coming undone. Snow beaded in wisps of uncoiling hair and sparkled whenever she passed under a street lamp. He shook his head. She was pretty, even when she was angry. Especially when she was angry, actually. He chuckled. If he ever told her that, she would be mortified.

She whipped around and glared at him. "What's so funny?" she snarled.

He wiped his face free of expression. "Nothing." A note of defensiveness, even though he had tried to keep his tone even. He ran a hand through his hair, trying not to grit his teeth. When she continued to stare at him, he muttered, "What?"

Hands on hips, she regarded him with those burning green eyes. Then all at once the fire left her, and she seemed to crumple. "Nothing," she said, turning away.

"You're angry at me…" He managed to make it sound less like a question and more like a fact.

She actually stamped her foot and her hands balled into fists. "I already said I wasn't," she muttered, then continued to walk at her former, sidewalk-killing stomp.

Sasuke grimaced and followed at a slower pace, watching her shoulders knotting with irritation. She passed under another street lamp and orange light glittered on her snow-dusted shoulders, her red dress shining as if dotted with tiny rubies. Beads of melting snow shimmered in her hair like fiery sparks, and he noticed the pin holding the rose in her unraveling bun seemed on the verge of falling out. Without thinking, he strode forward and plucked it out of her hair. She shot him a reproachful look that softened when she saw what he held. Taking it from him, she turned it over and over in her hands without saying anything for a long while.

"It's pretty," she murmured at last. Her hands lit up with blue chakra, and the rose seemed to revive a little. Snowflakes landed on its outstretched petals, shining in the lamplight. "Well," she said. "We're here."

Sasuke gave a start, realizing that they were in front of his house. When had they arrived? He shook his head, feeling foolish and not knowing what to say.

"I'll see you tomorrow then," Sakura said nervously, peering up at him. Her green eyes were bright, but no longer shooting those angry sparks. She bit her bottom lip. "And I'll come here, tomorrow. To pick you up I mean." Her cheeks colored at that, and she stared down at the rose in her hands.

He nodded, grateful he would not have to brave her parents, a wry smile slanting his lips. "Thanks." Then he frowned and reached out to dust off the snow piling up on her shoulders. She blinked at him owlishly, looked down at the pavement, and shivered. Her arms and shoulders were covered in goosebumps from the cold. He scowled, feeling like an ass for letting Sakura freeze to death. "Why don't you come in? You could borrow a coat." When she didn't respond, he added, "I could make some tea…?"

She stared down at the ground for what felt like a very long time. At last, her hands closed in around the rose and she nodded in acquiescence…

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 _Thanks for reading, and please review:)_


	8. Chapter Eight: Tea x for x Two

Gaaaah! I FINALLY finished my finals this week. People, almost every weekend between mid October and December I have spent slaving away on homework. I have never been so ready for a winter break!

Special thanks to **fanofthisfiction** who was kind enough to beta this chapter. It is much, much better for it. Fanofthisfiction-chan is also a great writer, and I encourage you to check out her stories, should you need entertainment:)

I'm hoping that with winter break coming, I'll have time to update a bit more frequently! Yaaay! And now, without further blah blah...here's chapter 8! Enjoy:)

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 _Chapter Eight: Tea x for x Two_

Sakura's hands closed in around the rose before she nodded. When she didn't say anything, he shrugged self-consciously and opened the gate, wincing when it creaked. She followed him up the path in silence, though he felt her eyes on his back as he opened the door. It made his skin prickle. He switched on the light which flickered before it cast a sickly fluorescent glow over the room.

"You hardly have any furniture," she blurted out, then covered her mouth with her hand. "I mean…"

He only shrugged. "I'll make tea," he said, stepping out of his shoes and padding into the kitchen. After a moment, she followed him. As he filled the kettle with water and set it to boil, Sakura tip-toed around the kitchen, eyeing the mismatched teacups, running a finger over the counter and leaving a faint trace in the layer of dust. Sasuke suppressed a sigh.

"You look like you've never seen my house," he said, shutting off the stove with a _click_ as the kettle whistled.

"I haven't," she replied evenly, wiping her dusty finger on a threadbare towel. "You've never invited me in before."

"Oh." Not sure what else to say, he concentrated on scooping tea leaves into a chipped teapot. Where did he usually see Sakura? He listed the few places in his head: the ramen stand when Naruto dragged him there, the Hokage's tower, or on missions, but that hadn't been for a long while. Strange. Sakura counted among the few he called friends in the village, yet it occurred to him that as the years passed they hardly saw each other. The thought disquieted him. As he poured the hot water into the teapot, some splashed over the side and swirled with dust as it pooled on the counter.

Setting the tea on a tray with the only two matching cups he owned, he strode into the living room. He sat down on a cushion, and Sakura took another across from him. She still didn't say anything. He stared down at the scuffed floorboards, racking his mind for something to say but finding nothing. At last, he chanced a glance at her and noticed she was shivering.

He rushed to his feet and strode to the fireplace, lighting the logs blanketed in dust with a simple katon. Then he trotted up to his bedroom and when he came back, he offered Sakura his coat, plain black wool with the Uchiha crest emblazoned on the back. She took it with a grateful nod and draped it around her shoulders, smiling faintly.

Feeling somewhat embarrassed but not knowing exactly why, he knelt to pour the tea. "Sorry," he said, as he handed her a cup, "I don't usually light a fire…"

She wrapped her hands around the teacup and eyed him over the rim as she took a sip. "Don't you get cold?"

He shrugged again, pouring himself a cup. "Not really." If he did get cold, he never really noticed. Better not to invest to much energy in feeling at home, not when he would leave again so quickly.

The green tea steamed with the heady scent of jasmine, and it seemed to lift his spirits, if only a little. Sakura was being uncharacteristically silent, but it was a nice kind of quiet. A companionable silence. They sat like that for a long time, each lost in their own thoughts, cradling cups of tea. Sasuke was the one who spoke first.

"I'm sorry I took you away from the reception so soon," he said, placing his tea cup on the low table with a _clink_. He ran a hand through his hair, still damp from the snow.

She put down her own cup and clasped her hands in her lap. "I hope Naruto won't be upset we left early."

Sasuke shook his head. "I doubt he'll notice much besides Hinata," he said, remembering how the couple had looked when he had left the tent—as if nothing else existed in the world but the two of them. He smirked as he caught Sakura's gaze.

She bowed her head, but she was smiling softly. "Sasuke-kun…" She laced her fingers together and drew a deep breath. Then she exhaled in a rush and remained silent.

"What?" Had he said something to upset her again? She _had_ smiled at his joke…

"It's nothing," she insisted, still avoiding his gaze. "It's just…" She shook her head again and picked up her teacup, but she did not drink.

He reached out for the teapot and refilled his cup. He paused, eyeing Sakura, then poured for her as well, the floral scent of jasmine rising up on the curling steam. It was so quiet, he could hear the crackle of the fire, the muffled sounds of snow accumulating on the roof and brushing against the windows. By the time he was sure she was never going to complete her thought and he was ready to change the subject, she spoke.

"I wonder if I'll ever be happy like Naruto and Hinata."

Her voice sounded so bleak it made the corners of his mouth turn downward. Shifting his cup in his fingers, he said, "Of course you will." He took a cautious sip of tea.

Her eyes flickered up to his, her expression unreadable, then flickered away just as fast. "Don't you ever think of settling down, Sasuke-kun?"

"Not really. But what does that have to do with…" As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he wished he could take them back. She couldn't be bringing up her _feelings_ for him—could she? No—of course not, he chided himself. That would be foolish. She was only worried about him, he assured himself. She got like this, sometimes, when he was absent from the village for long intervals…though she usually wasn't so direct about addressing it. That had to be the problem. "Sakura," he said firmly but not, he hoped, unkindly, "I've told you before. I don't think I'll ever live in the village again. Not permanently."

"But—"

"My place is out there," he said, gesturing vaguely with his cup towards the snow-covered window, "keeping an eye on what's happening in the world. Gathering intel. And your place is here, in the village." He managed a smile, though it was strained. It was all so simple, really, when you took your emotions out of it and stuck to cool logic. He had a debt to Konoha, and this is how he had chosen to repay it. They had two separate, very different lives and, while he appreciated her concern, it was best to nip this conversation in the bud. Just as he was about to suggest that Sakura go home before it got much later, her flashing green eyes silenced him.

"Don't you want something to come home to? Some _one_ to come home to?" she asked, fiddling with the coat draped around her shoulders. "A family?" That came out in a croak.

"My family is dead," Sasuke said, matter of fact. His eyes narrowed. They were approaching dangerous territory.

She scowled at him, her expression hardening when she met his gaze. "What about Naruto? And Kakashi-sensei?" She swiped at her eyes then looked away from him studiously. "What about me?"

"You are my friends," he said evenly. "My family in a sense, I guess. You're the reason why I can go into the world and do what I have to, for Konoha. And Sakura," he said, when her burning eyes met his again and she opened her mouth to interrupt, "if Naruto is like my brother…you're like my sister." He shifted his shoulders uncomfortably and stared down into his teacup. A part of him wanted to run from this conversation, but another part wanted to help chase away the tears in Sakura's eyes. The gods knew he had made her cry enough for one lifetime. He felt a stab of guilt at the thought and glanced up at her.

Her head was bent, but her hands were shaking, clutching her teacup with white-knuckled fingers. Kami, what had he said?

Abruptly, the cup shattered in Sakura's hands and she gasped. "Oh Sasuke-kun, I'm so sorry—it was your only matching cup!"

He winced. So she had noticed. "It's nothing. Are you hurt?"

He half-rose off his cushion, but she was already healing the shallow lacerations on her palms, her hands glowing with blue chakra. "I'll get you another cup," he offered, but she shook her head, and he sank back down onto his seat, eyes filling with concern.

She gathered up the ruined shards of the cup and dumped them on the tea tray with a _thunk_. Then she stared into the flickering flames in the fireplace, her eyes reflecting the amber light. Worried he would say something to set her off again, he sat waiting stiffly, watching her as if bracing for attack.

He ran through their conversation in his head and was still trying to figure out what he had said to upset her when Sakura finally broke the silence.

"This is the last time I'll tell you, Sasuke-kun. So try and get it through your thick head." He stared at her, taken aback by her hoarse voice thick with tears—but also very, _very_ angry, judging by the green fire blazing in her eyes and the way her balled fists shook in her lap. If he had been standing, he would have taken a step back. As it was he leaned back on his cushion.

"I. Love. You." Her unwavering stare could have bored through mountains.

His jaw tightened. "Sakura—" he replied in a warning tone, but she cut him off.

"Sasuke-kun—" she growled back, but he wouldn't let her.

"Look," he interjected, "I _know_ , but it would never work out. I'm—" He tried to say _sorry,_ but it was Sakura's turn to speak over him.

"Give me one good reason," she snapped, glaring him into silence. Gods, but he had never seen her _this_ angry—at him, at least. She never spoke like this to him. Sure, there were times where she cried, and she speared him with those wide, bright eyes full of tears, but she never snapped at him—never shook in anger as if she might splinter his head like a rock standing in her way.

But instead of backing down, he felt his own hackles rising. Why could she never understand reason? Things were really quite simple if she didn't insist on complicating them. "One good reason?" he replied, his voice dangerously cool. "I'll give you three. I tried to kill you." He held up three fingers and glowered at her.

"That's one reason," she replied, her voice rising, "and it's not a good one. Sasuke-kun, think about how many times you _saved_ my life."

"That doesn't—"

"If you did think—which you don't ever seem to," she snarled, "you would realize that you've saved my life so many times, it would be impossible to count. And those three times you attacked me? I had attacked you first. The first time," she shouted when he opened his mouth to protest, "was at Orochimaru's hideout, when I had set my mind to beating some sense into you before I dragged you back home. Which didn't happen, but still, it was my intention."

"Sa-ku-ra—"

She gave an exasperated shake of her head and cut him off again. "And the second time, _I_ was trying to kill _you_."

"That doesn't—"

"It does!" she thundered, silencing him. "We're ninja, Sasuke. I expect you to defend yourself if I attack you." She speared him with another glare. "Or do you think I'm no match for you?"

He ran a hand through his hair again and matched her glare for glare. It was time to change tactics. "My place is outside of the village, collecting intel. Your place—"

"Is here, as you've already pointed out. So what?" she retorted. She leaned toward him, and though she was sitting, she seemed to loom over him.

Sasuke rose from his seat in one swift motion and started pacing the barren length of the living room. Gods, but he was getting tired of her interrupting him! " _So what?_ Sakura, you deserve someone who—"

"Who will what?" she seethed, leaping to her feet, the coat falling from her shoulders to land in a heap on the ground. "Rescue me from the maniac in the moon?" She flushed at that, perhaps because she found herself repeating her mother's words from earlier, but she pushed ahead, and he thought that maybe the color in her cheeks was more from anger than embarrassment. "I'm no kitten stuck in a tree, Uchiha Sasuke! I'm no princess in a tower that needs you to rescue her." Rounding on him, hands on hips, she took a menacing step forward.

"What do you want from me?" he asked, unable to help his irate tone. He could feel the heat rising in his own face, and he was so angry he was a hairsbreadth away from activating his Sharingan.

"What do I want from you?" she echoed incredulously. A tremor went through her, like a string pulled too tightly.

Sasuke snapped his eyes shut and forced himself to take a deep, calming breath. He knew she was more hurt than angry, and going off the deep end was not going to help things. He opened his eyes slowly and met her burning green gaze. "Sakura…? I really don't know." His voice sounded about as small as he felt.

"You don't know?" she echoed, some of the heat seeming to cool in her voice.

He took a step towards her, so close, his hand brushed the soft silk of her dress. She exhaled in a rush, her breath fanning out against his chest. "What do you want from me?" he said, so soft, it was almost a whisper.

She blinked, moisture dotting her eyelashes and smudging her mascara, giving her a haunted look. Her gaze locked with his. The anger seemed to leave her all at once, extinguishing the fire in her eyes until a dull, wet green was all that was left. "I want to be with you." She inhaled sharply, staring at him in a mix of horror and grief.

Her gaze was like a blow to the head. He staggered away from her, then bent to pick up his rumpled coat from the floor. He handed it to her gingerly, as if he was worried she might bite off his hand if he got too close.

"You should go," he said, trying to keep his voice steady.

She didn't take it. "Sasuke-kun…" Bright tears trickled down the side of her face. He forced himself to ignore them, feeling an icy pit forming in his stomach.

"It's cold outside," he said, folding the dark wool around her trembling shoulders. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"But—"

"I can't!" he said, more sharply than he intended. Then, more softly: "I'm sorry."

She bit her lip, then stumbled to the door and dashed out, not bothering to close it behind her. Snow swirled inside, but he made no move to close the door.

He wasn't sure how long he stood there staring after her, but when he came back to himself, the fire had burned down to embers, and a small pile of slush had melted all over the entryway. He lurched forward on wooden limbs to close the door—and cursed as he stumbled over something and nearly fell. He looked down and his eyes widened. It was Sakura's stilettos. They glittered a blood-red in the harsh fluorescent light, the heels now pointing up at him like daggers. She had walked home though the snow without any shoes, he realized. And it was his fault.

He rubbed his forehead, feeling a throbbing headache coming on.

At least he had given her his coat.

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 _Thanks for reading my dears. As always, your reviews make my day;) Please let me know what you thought of this chapter!_


	9. Chapter Nine: Knight & Shining & Armor

Lord. Sorry for the wait, I managed to get the flu and was sick for two weeks—and managed to be sick through the whole first week of term :( Gah. Well, as Sakura would say, nothing like smashing rocks to make you feel like yourself again...or in my case, publishing another chapter of fanfic. Special thanks to **fanofthisfiction** for beta'ing and for her kind words and encouragement. And thanks to all of you out there: wonderful reviewers cheering me along, insistent PM'ers poking me into action, and silent readers who I hope will drop me a line one day! Please enjoy :D

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 _Chapter Nine: Knight & Shining & Armor_

 _Stupid,_ Sakura thought at herself as she stomped through the falling snow. The snow was an inch high in the street, and Sakura had to enhance her feet with chakra to walk over the top of it so she wouldn't get frostbite hiking through the stuff. _Stupid, stupid, stupid!_ She told herself that she meant her words for _him_ , but she knew they were really aimed at herself.

How could she have been so damn _stupid?_ Saying that she loved him…then blowing up at him! She glared at the snow falling in heavy wet clumps all around her and wished—not for the first time—that she hadn't run out of Sasuke's house without her shoes. She shivered, and drew the coat more tightly around her—then snarled when she remembered that it was _his_ coat and in a fit of pique considered tossing it into the street. For a moment, anger surged through her, red hot and burning. Then, all at once, it left it her in a rush and she just felt…cold. She swiped at her eyes and hurried home, the coat feeling too heavy across her shoulders. Gods, but she was an emotional roller coaster. One minute, she was angry enough to split rocks—the next, she just wanted to curl up and die.

"Like a sister," she muttered, stomping up the steps to her house. "He loves me like a bloody _sister."_ She knew she should be grateful—it must have taken Sasuke a lot to confess even that much. At the moment though, she didn't care. Her hands balled into fists. _Like a sister!_ She didn't know if she wanted to kill him—or kiss him. The stray thought caught her off guard and made her blush so furiously, she swore that snow must be evaporating off her burning cheeks in a flash of steam. She vaulted herself up to the top step and shook her head, her thoughts spinning. What she needed was to go to bed and forget that this whole night had ever happened. She peeked in through the front window, but the lights were off inside. She exhaled sharply, thinking her parents were probably asleep. Still muttering under her breath, she flung open the door, slammed it behind her, and stomped forward—and grunted as she barreled into something big and solid. The lights flickered on, revealing her father dressed in pin-striped pajamas, a concerned look on his face.

"Sakura-chan, you've been crying," he said, reaching out his arms to her.

She side-stepped him. "It's just melting snow," she lied, looking away from him.

But her father knew her too well. He surged towards her and wrapped his arms around her, holding her tightly. Sakura knew she should resist the urge to sag in his embrace, but she couldn't. She broke down in tears. _Kami, I really am weak…_

"Sakura-chan, your mother and I are so sorry about what happened tonight," he mumbled into her hair. "You know how your mother gets when she's had a bit to drink, and I…" He kissed the top of her head. "I'm just as protective of you as a mother bear with her cubs."

She sniffled, smiling despite herself. "Thanks, Otousan."

He released her long enough to close the front door, then ushered her over to the couch. "Tell me everything."

She leaned her head against his shoulder and she did, starting from leaving the party to her blow-up at Sasuke's house. By the end, tears still trickled down her cheeks, but she did feel better, if only a little bit.

Her father handed her a handkerchief, but otherwise remained quiet as she finished her tale. The snow whispered against the walls and the windows as it fell, but other than that, the night was silent as a tomb.

"I hope I didn't ruin your evening," he said at last.

Sakura just shook her head. "It would have happened eventually," she replied, dotting her eyes with the handkerchief. She winced when the white cloth came away smudged with color from her ruined makeup. "We've been dancing around the subject for two years now. We were bound to blow up at each other…" _I just wish I hadn't been such an idiot,_ Sakura added silently, squeezing her eyes shut against fresh tears.

"Well…" Her father cleared his throat. She took a deep breath, then forced herself to meet his gaze. "Whatever you decide to do, Sakura-chan, your mother and I are behind you one hundred percent." He gave her a blinding smile that would have rivaled one from Gai Sensei. Then his smile faded, and he shot her a rueful look. "And your mother and I promise not to go after Sasuke again—without your permission," he finished with a wicked grin.

She snorted, imagining Sasuke—the most powerful shinobi in the village, if not the world—being chased by her overweight and balding father clutching a baseball bat. "He would be terrified of you," she said dryly.

He chuckled and patted her arm. "Damn straight he'd be terrified of me. You get your temper from me, not your mother." He shook his head and grew serious. "Whatever you choose to do," he repeated, giving her a quick hug, "we're behind you all the way."

Sakura smiled softly and rose. His words were like a balm on her raw wound, but they also begged the question: What _was_ she going to do? "Thanks, Outousan," she whispered, then hurried into her room before the tears could start falling again.

She slipped out of her dress and fell into bed without bothering to brush her teeth. As for her makeup, she was sure she had cried it all off already. She drew the covers up over her head and was asleep before her head hit the pillow, but exhaustion did not prevent her from tossing and turning from troubled dreams.

#

She found herself held high up in a tower, a cold wind sweeping in through cracks in rough stone walls. She strode to the balcony and looked out the tower window, taking in the sallow landscape: pale yellow light illuminated a world of craters and huge rock formations. There were no buildings in sight, other than the tower she was in. When she peered down, she reeled from the dizzying view. She must be at least ten stories high! This place looked so familiar…where was she? With a start, she realized she must be on the moon. Memory rushed towards her. That's right—she was a captive of this place. She had to escape!

She tried to open the windows lining the balcony, but they would not budge, no matter how she enhanced her grip with chakra. Her panic mounting, she strode to another window but stopped cold when she heard a loud clanking sound and felt something cold and heavy on her ankle. Panic turning to terror, she found a manacle encircling her leg and a long heavy chain binding her to a metal pin in the center of the room.

Fear made her breath come in short, quick pants. She enhanced her fingers with chakra and chopped at the restraints, but her hand bounced back with a painful jerk, leaving the chain unbroken. The metal was chakra resistant. _This can't be happening_ , she thought, scanning the room for some means of escape. Impossibly, the room had no doors—only the large, floor-to ceiling windows that would not open. She rushed forward in an effort to smash those windows, but stopped short. What would be the point? If she couldn't remove the chain, then she would still be stuck here. Her eyes swept across the barren landscape again, searching for something—anything—and spotted a small dark shape zooming over the dune-like hills.

She squinted, peering into the distance. Was it someone coming to help her escape? Or was it her jailer? She held her breath as the dark shape resolved into a figure on horseback. As the rider came closer, she saw that he wore a full suit of armor, including a shining helmet capped with a red plume. She pressed her ear to the glass and faintly heard the sound of the horse's hooves ringing in the night.

She waved frantically at the rider, but if he saw her, he made no response. His metal armor seemed to gleam in the moon's white light, the red plume atop his helmet blowing back in the wind. He reined in his horse at the foot of the tower and threw back his helmet, and Sakura gasped. She had hoped that it might be Sasuke come to rescue her, but it wasn't. Underneath the helmet, the rider had no head at all. Sakura opened her mouth and a strangled cry escaped her lips.

Sakura stirred in her sleep, twisting in her sheets and clutching her pillow as the dream changed. She rode on a white horse, speeding over the pale face of the moon and leaping over dark craters, zooming towards a castle in the distance. Her hair whipped behind her in the wind. She gripped the leather reins tightly, scanning the horizon for danger. The castle loomed closer, closer. She urged her mount for more speed, and the horse neighed as he galloped over the rocky field towards the base of the tower. But just as her horse brought her to the drawbridge the ground trembled, shuddering as if from an earthquake. Her horse reared up and shrieked, eyes rolling back in fear, and Sakura lost her reigns. The animal bucked, sending Sakura crashing to the ground. She landed on her shoulder and heard a sick snapping sound, felt a sharp and terrible pain shoot down her arm. She barely had time to register what was going on as the ground shook violently and groaned before splitting open underneath her into a wide, dark cavern. She tumbled into the black vastness of space, while above her the castle crumbled, the high tower cracking off and falling into the pit over her.

Her eyes snapped open in her dark bedroom. "What an awful dream," she mumbled, rolling over and hiding her head under the covers. She groaned. She knew she had to get some decent sleep before the wedding tomorrow, and the gods knew she was exhausted; but she only tossed and turned until an uneasy sleep claimed her, and even stranger dreams came: in one dream she was a puppet controlled by Toneri Otsutsuki, dressed in a pale gray wedding dress, its hood obscuring her face. In another, she rode on the back of one of Sai's birds, orbiting the moon slowly, looking for something but not finding it.

She shifted, and the dream changed again: snow fell in thick swirls over the surface of the moon as she stumbled through the storm, her bare feet sinking into steep, freezing banks. She shivered with cold, but she forced herself to keep moving. What was she looking for? Why was she here? She couldn't remember, but still, she pressed on. At last, the snow parted like a curtain, and she found herself in a graveyard, tombstones overgrown with skeletal vines blanketed in snow.

Overcome by a sense of dread, she took a tentative step forward. One grave caught her attention at once. Unlike the others, this grave was completely free of snow and was covered with blue and white roses which, despite the cold, looked as fresh and alive as hothouse flowers. She knelt down beside the beautiful roses and inhaled their sweet fragrance. She smiled, then leaned forward to read the inscription on the tombstone—and drew back at once in horror.

It read: _Here lies Uchiha Sasuke, the last of his clan. He died bravely defending Konoha single-handedly. A true hero._

"No," she breathed, tracing the letters with a shaking hand. Sasuke was dead and he had died alone? Without any surviving family? Tears blinded her. She bent her head and wept, her tears falling like dew over the roses.

When she finally opened her eyes, she was no longer in the graveyard. Instead, she knelt beside a dark pool, white lotus blossoms reflecting on its glassy surface. Blinking in confusion, she leaned over the side to peer into the water—

And saw Sasuke's reflection staring back at her, not even a ripple marring his pale face. His dark bottomless eyes seemed to bore into her. She reached out a hand to touch him but lost her balance and fell forward, landing in the dark pool without a sound. Icy water closed over her and she plummeted through the water.

 _I love you, Uchiha Sasuke!_ Her voice reverberated all around her like an echo. _And I give up._ _If you're meant to die alone…_ The last glimmer of light faded in the depths of the water and her breath left her in a rush of bubbles.

She was going to die.

She woke up with a sneeze, wide eyes snapping open. Her head felt like it was full of stuffing, and it ached. With a groan, she threw back the covers and lifted a hand to her burning forehead.

"Of all the times to get a cold," she muttered. What had her dreams been about? There were a tumble of images in her head, but none of them made any sense, and they just made her headache worse as she tried to sort them out. She glanced out the window at the sky just turning gray with dawn. That was fine with her, as she had had enough bad dreams for one night. She found her uniform draped over a nearby chair and tossed it on, then tied back her hair in a messy ponytail.

"Well," she muttered, opening her window wide. "I have plenty of time before the ceremony. And there's nothing like decimating a pile of rocks to cheer you up and make you feel like yourself again." She took a deep breath, inhaling the cold morning air, then leapt out of her window onto the dark street below, making a beeline for the training grounds.

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 _Please let me know what you think! Your reviews help me to be a better writer :)_


	10. Chapter 10: Vows

Hi friends! Welcome back. First of all, a standing ovation and many thanks to my marvelous beta, **fanofthisfiction** -chan. Without her, this chapter wouldn't be half as good as it is, plus, I'd likely still be banging my head against a wall T-T. She just updated today, so go check her out when you're done here :D

In other news, I just had the weirdest week. I just found out a few days ago that one of my classmates died. I didn't know him super well, but I sat next to him. We were always shooting the shit and joking around. Suddenly, he's gone.

I am still pretty upset about it. It made me really start thinking of how much of an impact we all have on one another, more than we likely realize. So to everyone out there in cyberspace, just wanted to extend my thanks for your presence on this lovely planet we call home. Please take care of yourselves and let your loved ones know you care about them.

Anyway, also celebrating my birthday (yaaaay!) and feeling very lucky to be alive. Thanks for being out there, reading my little updates and keeping tabs on my fics. I'm thankful for you.

Please enjoy the next chappy:)

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Chapter 10: Vows

Sasuke did not rest well that night. Though he told himself that he had done nothing wrong, a vague sense of guilt followed him to bed and haunted his uneasy sleep.

He dreamt he floated above the moon, scanning its pockmarked surface with his Sharingan for signs of life. A dark castle was the only structure down below in the desert-like wasteland, its towers twisted and foreboding, its windows as dark as a skull's empty eye sockets.

He landed on the moon's alien surface and ran along its rough terrain, staying hidden in the shadows cast by rocky cliffs and misshapen crags. As he drew closer to the castle, he eyed the drawbridge, then the parapets high overhead, scanning for enemies. The place was deserted. He sucked in a deep breath then, staying low to the ground, he sprinted over the drawbridge and darted inside.

He traversed dark winding stairwells that climbed higher and higher in dizzying circles, the only sound, his muffled footfalls echoing in the cold silence. He stalked down barren hallways that criss-crossed each other in a maze of passageways until he lost all sense of direction. He strode onward, trying to make sense of the empty corridors, but there was not even dust on the stone floor to mark his footsteps.

He took to nicking walls and doors with a kunai to keep track of his movements, but though he felt like he was traveling down identical empty hallways, he never found any of his scratches to guide him. Was he going around in circles? Or did it only seem that way in this desolate place? There was nothing do to but to continue, traversing the labyrinthine passageways and climbing the stairwells that wound ever higher into the thinning atmosphere.

At last, his body heaving with exertion, he came to a gilded door, as wide as three men across and as tall as an ancient oak tree. He grasped the doorknob with sweaty palms but it wouldn't budge. Even throwing his whole weight against the doorframe garnered no results.

Bile rose in the back of his throat, and a sense of trepidation surged up in him. Was he too late? _Too late for what?_ another part of his mind thought, but he did not know. Without a moment to lose, he gathered a chidori in his hand, the sound of screeching birds resounding in his ears, and smashed the door down with an echoing crash.

Panting with effort, he found himself in a room only partially lit by low-burning torches in silver sconces, making shadows dance along the far walls and flickering over the huge floor-to-ceiling window that did not let in any outside light.

"I didn't think you'd come for me," came a voice hoarse with tears. He whirled around but almost didn't recognize the figure swathed in veils. Then she said his name, and all doubt was banished from him mind: "…Sasuke-kun."

"Sakura," he breathed. She wore a black dress embroidered with silver moons and hemmed with strings of pearls that glinted softly in the dim light. She took a step towards him into the torchlight, but a black veil obscured her face.

"Of course I'd come for you," he replied, his panic mounting.

"You're too late," she said, taking another step towards him then jerking backwards, a thick metal chain clanging as it held her ankle fast. "Toneri has already forced me to marry him."

"That doesn't matter," he replied, rushing to her. He brushed the veil out of her face and her green eyes met his. In the dim light, her gaze sparkled with unshed tears, making the golden flecks in her irises glimmer like stars.

"But Sasuke-kun—"

"I love you," he breathed, and the words seemed torn out of him, leaving him gasping for breath. Why had he never told her until now?

"Sasuke-kun…" She broke off with a cry, resting a trembling hand against his cheek, tears flowing freely down her sallow face. Her eyes were bottomless pits of pain and sorrow, and it made Sasuke's heart ache. He wanted to say something—anything—to ease the pain in her eyes, but suddenly, a wall of solid air pushed him away from Sakura. The force of the roaring wind slammed his body against the far window, shattering it with a deafening crash, and he was falling back through space, twisting and sailing out over the stars.

"Sakura!" he cried, head spinning. It felt like he was drowning, without knowing which direction was up or down. He tried to swim his way back to the her, but the more he struggled, the faster he plummeted away through the vastness of empty space.

Sasuke sat up in bed with a start, eyes wide, sweat beading down the side of his face. He clutched the sheets, his heart pounding. It was still black as night outside, but he knew he wouldn't be able to get back to sleep.

"What a stupid dream," he muttered, throwing off the covers and padding downstairs into the kitchen. Soon, the whistling kettle was the only sound piercing the silence, then the clink of teacups. He usually preferred green tea, but he needed something stronger, so he brewed black tea, extra bitter.

He was half-way through his second cup when there was a rapid _knock-knock-knock_ at his door. He glanced at the window. Outside, the sky was just turning gray with the first light of predawn. Who would be knocking at this hour? Activating his chakra in defense, he looked through the peephole and grimaced.

"Naruto," he groused, throwing the door open, "what the hell are you—"

"Sas-keeeeee!" the other man moaned, shoving inside and grabbing Sasuke by the collar. "You've got to help me."

He tried to back away but Naruto held him fast. "What—" he began, but Naruto interrupted.

"It's my vows," Naruto replied, his wide eyes going even wider as he shook Sasuke. "You've got to help me with them."

It was still snowing outside. Fat flakes swirled in through the door and landed on the floor without melting. "Fine," Sasuke growled. "Just let go of me."

Naruto complied and, without asking, bounded to Sasuke's cushion on the floor and poured himself a cup of tea—using Sasuke's cup. "Eh, asshole, how do you drink this bitter crap?" he groused after taking a sip.

Sasuke snatched the cup away from him with another growl and drained it to the dregs. As he located another cushion and sat down, he eyed Naruto.

"Why don't you just stick to the traditional vows?" he asked levelly. Best to get this over with as quickly as possible.

"It's too late for that," the other man moaned, running a hand through his disheveled hair. "Hinata's all ready with her vows. That means that I have to go ahead with doing a personal vow thingie or she'll be really disappointed."

Sasuke heaved a sigh. He wished he had gotten more sleep to deal with this idiot. "Show me what you have so far."

Naruto grinned, as eager as a golden retriever fetching a ball, and pulled out a thick stack of papers from his coat. Then he bit his lip. "Read this over and tell me what you think."

The papers made a _thunk_ as they landed on the floor in front of Sasuke. "For the love of— Naruto, you're supposed to write vows, not a novel!"

"Sas-keeeee!" he whined.

Sasuke pinched the bridge of his nose and took another deep breath. "Fine," he muttered, leafing through the manuscript.

 _Hinata, you are the sunshine of my life, the fried shrimp in my ramen—_

Oh gods. No. Just…no. Caught between wanting to laugh and cry, Sasuke read another page.

 _Roses are red, violets are blue—_

"Naruto," came the angry grumble of Sasuke's voice, "did you have your clones write this…?" It took a firm effort of will not to add _drivel_ to the end of his sentence.

The blond grinned sheepishly and scratched the back of his head. "I might have had a clone or two help me…"

"Hinata," Sasuke read aloud, not bothering to hide his distain, "when you're near me, I get this warm fuzzy feeling like I just swallowed a baby duckling…" He leveled Naruto a steady glare.

"Okay, okay, maybe more than a clone or two. Oh all right," he disclosed when Sasuke did not ease up his stare, "I was up all night with a whole army of clones writing my vows. Couldn't you just—I don't know—pick the best one?"

Without removing his piercing glare from Naruto, Sasuke lifted the pack of papers in one fluid motion and set them on fire with a katon.

"SAS-KEEEE!" Naruto squealed, springing up from his seat and snatching the papers out of Sasuke's grasp, waving them furiously to put the fire out. But the more he tried to blow out the fire, the hotter the flames fanned until, at last, he stomped on the papers to smother it, only to realize—

"Sasuke! They're ruined!" Naruto groaned, digging frantically through the ashes. When it was clear the insipid poetry he had struggled over could not be revived from the burnt pile of paper, he ran around the living room, pulling at his hair and knocking over the room's sole lamp.

"Oh my gods," he cried, pacing furiously. "Oh my gods, oh my gods, I'm screwed. What am I going to do, what am I going to do? I—"

Sasuke stopped him with a solid _thwack_ to the head. "Here," he muttered, handing the Idiot a pen and a piece of paper.

"But Sasuke, I've already—"

"Sit down, shut up, and write your vows. I'm not giving you any more paper," he broke in when Naruto opened his mouth to protest. "You only get one shot and this—is—it." Frowning, he shoved Naruto back down onto his cushion, then stalked over to his own seat, forcing himself to unclench his jaw.

"I'm doomed," Naruto proclaimed lugubriously, staring down at the blank page.

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Shut up and write," he ordered, pouring himself another cup of tea to steady his frazzled nerves. "If you can't write something from the heart—"

"But—"

" _From the heart,_ " he reiterated, hoping he did not sound as exasperated as he felt, "then you might as well read the traditional vows and be done with it."

Naruto glared at him sullenly, then took a deep breath and nodded. "You might be an asshole…but you're right." He chewed his lower lip. "Can I have some tea?"

"No. Write your vows."

Muttering under his breath, Naruto leaned forward and smoothed the piece of paper down on the floor, then poised his pen to write. He sat frozen like that for some time, brow furrowed, fingers going white around the pen. Then, with a shaky breath, he lowered the pen to the page and scribbled furiously.

Sasuke sat cross-legged, sipping his cold tea and wondering if it had been a good idea to burn Naruto's original vows. There might have been something half-worthwhile in the stack; he hadn't read the whole thing. What if this second attempt turned out to be as puerile as the initial one?

As he watched Naruto fill the page with untidy scrawl, his face screwed up in concentration, Sasuke hid his misgivings and sipped his tea. If Sakura ever found out about him ruining Naruto's vows…she would never forgive him. He frowned, feeling a sinking sensation at the thought, then shook his head.

Still, he couldn't chase away the memory of his fight with Sakura the night before, her mascara running, bright tears welling up in her emerald eyes. Unbidden, he recalled what Sakura's mother had said to him: _I don't know if there's another person alive, enemy nin included, who have made Sakura cry as much as Uchiha Sasuke._

His hand fell to his lap, still cradling the cold cup of tea. It's not that he intentionally set out to make her cry, the gods knew that. Still, no matter what he did, he always managed to upset her.

 _I really am a terrible friend,_ he though grimly, fingers clenching the teacup. _It's for the best that I'm leaving Konoha soon…_

"There," Naruto shouted with satisfaction, breaking Sasuke out of his thoughts. He handed the paper to Sasuke, flashing a triumphant smile.

Sasuke shook his head again, then cleared his throat and began to read. "Hinata," he said, hoping against hope that the Idiot had written something sensible, "I was up all night writing these vows. Every time I began, the words wouldn't come out right. I guess you could say I'm not too good at this stuff, but it's really because what I want to say is so much bigger than what I can fit on this piece of paper. I love you." Sasuke paused, swallowing a cold lump at the back of his throat.

"What do you think so far?" Naruto asked anxiously.

"It's too soon to tell," he snapped, and forced himself to continue reading. "I love the way you smile, and the way you look at me. I love you because you've never given up on me, no matter how hopeless I was, no matter how much of an idiot I was. I love you because you are always there, waiting for me, silently cheering for me even when the whole world is against me. But I love the little things too, like holding hands, or eating ramen together, or even when we're just walking together and not saying anything. I love you because I can't help but love you…"

Sasuke trailed off and cleared his throat. He settled the paper against his knee and took another sip of tea.

"Come on, come on, is it good or not? You're not going to set it on fire again, are you?"

"Shut up," Sasuke snapped. "Let me get to the end." He cleared his throat again. Gods, why was this so hard to read? His palms were sweating, his stomach was clenched up in knots, and he could feel a headache brewing, and not just from lack of sleep.

"Bastard…" Naruto whined with impatience. "Come on!"

With a weary sigh, Sasuke took up reading again. "I love you because I can't help but love you. Even though Sakura is right…" Sasuke blinked at Sakura's name, but continued to read, "Even though Sakura is right when she says that you are almost too good for me, I hope you'll always love me as much as I love you. I've never had a family before—at least, a family of my own—but being with you is like coming home to one. Hinata, I love you, and I will love you as long as I live, and maybe even longer. I love you."

Sasuke found he was chewing his lip by the end, and the clenching in his stomach and the pounding in his head had only grown worse.

"Sasukeeee, what did you think? Did I tell her I loved her too much? I don't want to sound dopey." He wrinkled his nose.

"It's perfect," Sasuke replied, handing the paper back. "Don't change anything."

Giving a victorious _whoop,_ Naruto leapt to his feet. "Yes! Now I can finally get married." He heaved a relieved sigh. "And I have you to thank, ya jerk. Can I have some tea now?"

Without rising, Sasuke handed him his own cup, and when the other man spat out the tea, muttering about how cold and bitter it was, all Sasuke did was arch an eyebrow.

"You feeing okay?" Naruto asked, squinting at him.

Sasuke arched the other eyebrow. "I'm a ninja, not a barista," he muttered dryly.

Naruto ignored him and felt Sasuke's forehead. "I'm not talking about the tea, dummy. You don't look so good. Is that why you and Sakura left the party early last night?"

Sasuke felt a pang at that, but tried not to let it show. "I, ah… I guess you could say that…" he trailed off lamely. If anyone knew what to do about Sakura, it was Naruto, but should he really trouble the man on his wedding day?

"Are you well enough to come to the ceremony today? If not, I can postpone it till—"

"Don't postpone your wedding for me," Sasuke snapped. And then: "I'm _fine._ Just…tired. That's all." He rose to escort Naruto to the door.

On any other day, Naruto would have seen through the lie—but not on his wedding day. Flashing a relieved smile, Naruto practically skipped to the doorway, carefully folding the vows and placing them with a loving pat in his breast pocket. "Good, good! Because it wouldn't be the same if you weren't there, asshole. I can't thank you enough for helping me!"

Sasuke winced. Naruto's overly bright tone was akin to staring directly into the sun. "It was nothing," he protested weakly. "I'm…glad I could help."

Naruto gushed his thanks a moment more, turned to leave, then paused, shooting Sasuke a wry grin over his shoulder. "And Sasuke?"

"Yes?" he replied, wishing the blond would just leave already.

"Try giving Sakura a red rose. See you in a few hours!" And with that, the ninja was gone in a whirl of dried leaves.

Sasuke scratched his chin, blinking after him. "What does that mean?" he muttered, shaking his head as he closed the door. The house felt altogether too quiet without Naruto's presence. He bent to straighten the lamp, then picked up the tea tray. A red rose? That was supposed to be for true love, or some other such nonsense. He was pretty sure Sakura would bite his head off for something like that. And yet…Sakura's own words echoed in his head:

 _This is the last time I'll tell you this, Sasuke-kun. So try and get it through your thick head. I. Love. You._

Then the voice changed to his own, reading Naruto's vows:

 _I love you because you've never given up on me, no matter how hopeless I was, no matter how much of an idiot I was. I love you because you are always there, waiting for me, silently cheering for me even when the whole world is against me._

He leaned in the kitchen doorway, clutching the tea tray in a white-knuckled fist. The twisting feeling in his gut was getting worse. Maybe he had food poisoning? There was no other way to explain how he felt. Still, the echo of Sakura's voice haunted him: _I. Love. You._ Taking hold of himself, he strode into the kitchen and was about to dump the tea tray, cups and all, into the sink, when a stray thought struck him:

What if he married Sakura?

Sasuke started at his own idiocy, eyes wide. Where had that idea come from? Marrying anyone, least of all Sakura, was beyond stupid, not to mention impossible. As well wish for wings so he could fly to the moon. But why was his head pounding loud enough to be a hammer hitting steel, and his insides writhing like a pit full of snakes?

He took an unsteady step towards the sink when another thought hit him like a blow between the eyes, and the tray fell from his nerveless fingers. The cups skittered on the tiled floor and shattered as they ricocheted off the far wall. The tea pot made a resounding _crash!_ as it shattered into a hundred pieces, but Sasuke didn't notice.

Those vows. Besides the part about ramen, he could have said the same things about Sakura, and they would all be the gods' honest truth. Did that mean he loved her?

A tremor went through him. This was insane. What did the word "love" even mean? Was he letting Naruto's vows get to him? How could he love Sakura when he didn't even know what it really meant to be in love, couldn't even define the term and come to any kind of logical conclusion?

But all that didn't matter, he reminded himself, forcing himself to get a grip. He knew he was the worst thing for Sakura. And besides, his place was out in the world, working from the shadows to protect Konoha. Her place was in the light, in the village he was working so hard to protect—the reason he could go out and do what he had to do.

He couldn't be the partner Sakura needed. His duty—even his very nature—prevented him from that. She deserved someone who could really be there for her, who could be open-hearted, warm, kind, generous. Things he could never be.

Her affections were wasted on a person like himself.

In the end, he would only ever bring her suffering. She would be better off without him. That's what he told himself as his hands balled into shaking fists, and his ocular jutsu activated, making his vision swim with red.

Then he blinked, deactivating his doujutsu and realizing the disaster in his kitchen for the first time, the cold tea pooling around his bare feet, the scattering of white pottery shards on the black floor.

"What's gotten into me?" he muttered, carefully stepping across the mess to retrieve a dustpan and broom. If anything was wrong with him, it was that he had stayed in the village too long and let his friends addle his brains. That was all.

Sweeping up the pottery shards and dumping them in the rubbish, Sasuke glanced out of the window. It was still early morning, and too early for anyone to be at the training grounds. And right now, the thought of flinging kunai at a target seemed to be the most sane thing to do.

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 _Thanks for reading and please review :)_


	11. Chapter 11: Training & Rocks & Roses

*Wingedmercury* wallowing in a pit of self doubt and writer's block.

*Fanofthisfiction* throws me a rope and pulls me out of said pit, all while correcting egregious spelling and grammatical errors in this chapter.

Special thanks to my Beta **Fanofthisfiction** -chan, and to all of my reviewers for their kind words. I couldn't do this without you!

So for this chapter, I actually watched "Naruto The Last" two times and took notes. Yep. Because I am that nerdy. If your brain isn't a Naruto Encyclopedia like mine, suffice to say that I didn't make up all that stuff about the chakra cannon in this chapter; the cannon is canon. It'll be an important plot point later on :D

Last note: **has anyone seen the character designs for the new Boruto manga?** OMG. It looks like Sasuke suffered some really bad plastic surgery, lol. Poor Sasu-face.

Ok, enjoy the next chappy!

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 _Chapter 11: Training & Rocks & Roses_

Sasuke jogged to his favorite training spot, a secluded copse of trees bordered by a wasteland of boulders and rubble. Flexing his fingers, he idly twirled a kunai and breathed in the fresh morning air.

Snow still covered the ground, but the sky was clearing up, its landscapes of cumulus clouds parting to reveal pale sunlight. The soft colors of dawn, pink and orange tinged with teal, lifted his mood. The foolish things that had churned through his head only moments before in the silent confines of his kitchen seemed nothing more than dreams now, as insubstantial as the evaporating clouds above.

Cracking his neck, he eyed the kunai targets—a bit worse for wear, but sufficient for his needs—and considered his training. He still hadn't completely mastered a smooth transition between the repulse and pull of the Rinnegan.

A few months prior, he had endured a skirmish with a group of bandits who thought they could better a one-armed man. When one of the men had thrown a kunai at him, Sasuke had repulsed it without a second thought—but when he tried, in the next instant, to take that same kunai and fling it towards another one of his assailants, there was a second's pause before he could move it forwards.

The second hadn't made a difference in that particular battle—all five rag-tag assailants had ended that fight in a sorrier shape than they had begun it—but it might make a difference in the future against worthier opponents.

Activating his doujutsu, he flung his kunai into the air and pushed it towards the target, plunging it straight into the bullseye. Without hesitating, he pulled at the weapon—again, a second's delay before the metal flashed and sunk itself into the bullseye on the second target.

"Not good enough," he muttered. Despite his apparent failure, he felt strangely content. It felt good to have a problem to chew on.

The sun rose slowly overhead as Sasuke practiced, again and again, flinging the kunai between the two targets. But no matter how many times he repeated the exercise, the situation remained the same: there was always the one second delay. Worse, he noticed that if he tried to change directions too quickly while the kunai hovered in midair it would wobble, and once, it almost fell.

Snarling with annoyance, Sasuke was about to forget the whole thing when the earth rumbled beneath his feet. Muscles tense, doujutsu still active, he whirled around as something huge cast a shadow over the sky.

It took him a moment to realize it wasn't a sudden storm cloud but a giant boulder hurtling through the sky—and heading directly towards him. And above it was a lone ninja, fist reeled back and blazing with chakra. Before he could shout a warning, the fist came crashing down on the rock, shattering it into a thousand pieces.

There was no time to think, only to react. His eyes alighted with chakra as he pushed aside the field of falling rock with his Rinnegan—and with horror, he realized he had pushed aside the ninja as well. A kunoichi wearing a red dress and with a shock of pink hair.

Without a moment's pause, he pulled her towards him while simultaneously parting the sea of zooming rocks and, head throbbing with the effort, he set her down gently as he released the boulders. They came thundering down to either side of them like meteors, making the earth quake.

With a grunt, Sasuke sat back on his heels, covering his Rinnegan eye with his hand. That move had cost quite a bit of chakra. Then he smiled: there had been no pause between the push and the pull. In fact, he had done both simultaneously, a feat he had thought impossible until now.

His free eye still whirled with the Sharingan as he met Sakura's horrified gaze, and all satisfaction vanished. Her face was completely bloodless—was she all right? Gods, if he had hurt her…

"Sasuke-kun," she breathed, stumbling forward. "I didn't see you! Did I…? Are you…?" She covered her mouth with a trembling hand.

"I'm fine," he replied, managing to get to his feet. "It's you I'm worried about."

But she seemed not to have heard him. "Kami, I could have killed you," she whispered, her face going even paler. "What's wrong with your eye?"

"Nothing," he said, moving towards her. She didn't have a scratch on her, but she was as white as the snow. "Just overused my eye—"

That shook her out of her stupor. She rushed forward and planted her hands on either side of his head. Healing chakra funneled into him, as cool and refreshing as mountain spring water, relieving the dull ache in his eye. Deactivating his ocular jutsu, he regarded her quizzically.

"Sasuke-kun, I'm so sorry—"

"Don't be," he said, with what he hoped was a reassuring smile. "Because of you, I finally figured out a jutsu I'd been working on for weeks. I mean it," he said when she leveled him a worried look, and he proceeded to explain the purpose of his training this morning.

When he finished, she looked like she still didn't quite believe him, but the color had returned to her face and she looked calmer. She sat down on an old tree stump and hugged her knees into her chest.

"No one ever comes to this training ground," she said at last.

"That's why I come here," he replied with a wry grin.

She chuckled weakly. "That's why I come here, too," she said, gesturing with her head towards the rocky outcropping. "I didn't mean to target such a large boulder though, and I didn't think it would travel this far." She shrugged. "I guess I got carried away."

"I'm just glad you're on my side," he said, still smiling. "You're terrifying."

Her laughter sounded more like a hiccup, but she was smiling, he noted with relief. "When was the last time we sparred, Sasuke-kun?" She leapt up off the stump and stretched her arms up in the air, the movement accentuating her breasts.

He looked away from her quickly, heat rising in his cheeks, but he kept his expression smooth. "When we were kids, I guess…" he replied.

She sneezed, then blushed, and dug a handkerchief out of her pocket and blew her nose. "You up for a little Taijutsu?"

Sasuke stared, but she only grinned as she stuffed the handkerchief back into her pocket. Was this the same Sakura from last night?

He regained his aplomb quickly though. Perhaps Sakura had finally seen reason, and they were back to being friends…? Or, perhaps she was still angry at him and wanted to beat him into a bloody pulp.

Still, the contrite smiling face before him did not look angry. She _had_ been horrified when she had almost crushed him with a boulder, after all…

"Sure," he said at last. "But you'll have the advantage."

She snorted. "Why? Because you only have one arm? I doubt that." And with an impish grin, she launched herself at him.

Ninja reflexes took over and soon, they were a whirling mass of arms and legs as they sparred. For every blow Sasuke attempted, Sakura blocked him, and visa versa.

It was more like a dance than sparring, Sasuke noted absently as he blocked Sakura's fist and struck out with a kick, which she blocked in turn. It was almost…relaxing. The kind of spar he often enjoyed with Naruto, just two friends going through the moves of a well-known ritual.

When he finally leapt away and, panting for breath, called a pause, he was pleased to see that she was equally breathless and wiping sweat from her brow.

"We're pretty evenly matched," he said, surprised. Again, he was glad Sakura was on his side.

But she made a wry face. "You mean, we would be evenly matched if I only had one arm and a head full of magical eyeballs."

He winced. He hadn't thought of that. "Anyway," he said, carefully trying to change the subject, "we should do that more often."

"What?" she asked, lips quirking in a demi-smile. "I should dump more rocks on you?"

"No," he muttered, then shook his head when he realized she was joking. "I meant train together."

Sakura opened her mouth to reply, then snapped it shut, looking abashed and glancing away.

"I'm sorry about last night," he said, kicking a rock. It spun in the air, then ricocheted off a larger boulder, breaking into two neat pieces.

She blinked up at him, as if dazed by sudden light. Two spots of color bloomed high in her cheeks, which made her look rather pretty. "Sasuke-kun, I…"

The sudden noise of branches snapping and rocks crunching underfoot made them both tense and turn towards the intruder. An angry blonde kunoichi charged into the clearing, her hair arranged on rollers all around her red face, a black drape fluttering around her shoulders like a cape.

"Ino?" Sakura demanded, gaping. "What are you doing here?"

"What am _I_ doing here?" Ino demanded, pointing an accusing finger at Sakura. "What are _you_ doing here?! You're late for our hair appointment!"

Ah, Sasuke thought. Hence the bizarre rollers in Ino's hair.

Sakura gasped. "What time is it?" she asked, covering her mouth with her hand. She looked about as horrified as when she had almost crushed Sasuke under a boulder.

"Only three hours away from the wedding, Forehead!" Ino hissed, grabbing Sakura by the sleeve. "And just look at you! You have bags under your eyes and—"

Sakura sneezed, then offered Ino a sheepish grin.

"And you have a head cold!" Ino cried, throwing up her hands. "Come on. You can't go to the wedding with your hair all frizzy and your nails—oh, they are absolutely ruined."

"I'll come by your house at quarter to ten!" Sakura called to Sasuke as Ino whisked her away, the blonde never pausing in her beauty salon tirade. Sasuke just waved, hoping his confusion didn't show.

Did it really take girls three hours to get ready for a wedding?

Shrugging, he supposed he should at least get breakfast. He had trained enough for one morning. Retrieving his kunai from the targets, he made his way back to the village, mind still chewing over the events of the morning.

Things had been…freakishly normal with Sakura. No, better than normal. As normal as things might have been had they been better at being friends.

He shook his head. Then again, he thought, he was no judge of what was considered "normal." People in his family had showed affection by trying to kill each other and casting Tsukuyomi, he thought, his lips compressing.

Still, this morning had been, well, nice. Stuffing his hand deep into his pocket, he strode down the winding path to the village in no particular haste. He would get a simple breakfast, then return home to pack his things, with the intention of leaving the village at first light tomorrow morning.

He went over the mental list of places he would go after he left Konoha. Orochimaru was first on the list. Sasuke had to keep a constant watch on the man to make sure he wasn't reviving any hapless shinobi from the dead, or performing morbid experiments on bodies still living. He had placed Karin in charge of keeping the man in line, and Karin was dependable—as long as she wasn't distracted by trying to seduce Sasuke.

After that, it would be on to Lightning Country to spy on their chakra cannon. If the thing could blow up a field of meteors, it could take out entire chunks of the countryside, Konoha included, all in a single attack.

Allied country or no, that weapon was dangerous—especially if it fell into the wrong hands. But spying on an allied country was a tricky business and if caught, an agent could endanger the peace Konoha had with Lightning Country.

That's why Sasuke was perfect for the job: he was his own agent. No need for the Raikage to know that the Hokage secretly agreed with Sasuke and unofficially sanctioned his mission.

If Sasuke could manage to get his hands on those plans for the chakra cannon, he could ensure that Konoha could build a similar weapon to keep the other countries in check. And of course, who better to build the thing than Orochimaru and his team of bored scientists. Hidden in their base, the weapon would be kept a secret until completed and delivered to Konoha, without any of the other Five Nations' knowledge.

Of course, Orochimaru would need to be watched even more closely afterwards—who knew what the Sannin might do with his own chakra cannon—but that's what Karin was for. Kami help him, but the woman was devoted to Sasuke and took her job of regulating Orochimaru's activities as her highest duty.

He sighed, letting out a long breath. He wasn't looking forward to seeing Karin again—and fending off her advances—but it was a necessary evil he had to endure, for the sake of the village.

But Sasuke also had a personal interest in retrieving the plans for the cannon.

Though in the end, Lightning hadn't used the weapon to transport the moon to another dimension—mostly because the jinchuriki of the Eight-Tails had refused to fire it while Naruto was still on the moon—the fact the cannon had such a potential was Sasuke's true aim.

Orochimaru was convinced that the chakra cannon's secondary and as yet untested ability to transport large objects into another dimension was the key Sasuke needed to unlock his Rinnegan's power, a power that would allow Sasuke to travel to other dimensions himself—and to find out if there were other aliens from the Otsutsuki clan who had an interest in destroying the Earth.

His mind still distracted by his mental to-do list, he only realized he was back in the village and down the street from the flower shop when he heard Ino's irate screech:

"That's the dumbest idea I've heard all day!" Ino yelled, pulling Sakura inside the shop.

"No one asked you, Pig," Sakura retorted, her tell-tale pink hair disappearing as the door jangled behind her.

What had Naruto said? Buy Sakura a red rose? Ha. That was doubtful.

Still, he wondered about the condition of the hairpin he had given Sakura the night before. He doubted if the blue rose had survived Sakura's anger intact; in fact he wouldn't be surprised if she had taken both the flower and his coat and ripped them to shreds.

But the events of this morning had put him in a fairly optimistic mood. Breakfast could wait. He would buy a new flower for Sakura—but he couldn't let her see him.

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 _Thanks for reading! Please review;)_


	12. Chapter Twelve: Love & Thorns

Welcome back to the Sasuke and Sakura show :) It's been a hellish month full of homework, homework, and more homework. But I am done three of my finals, and just have two BS papers to write and one more final before I'm a free woman! In celebration, please enjoy this update:) As always, thanks so much for your support!

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 _Chapter Twelve: Love & Thorns_

Sasuke slipped through the people crowding the street and, enhancing his feet with charka, sped up the side of a nearby building just in time. As he crested the roof, he watched Ino and Sakura leaving the flower shop, Sakura with a tissue-paper wrapped box in hand.

His Sharingan activated of its own accord but he could not tell what kind of flower was inside. Right then, he would have given anything for a Byakugan. So. Sakura had gotten him a new flower for tonight as well…but which kind? His hand went to his lapel, but of course, no rose was there. She had given him red last night, he thought, guilt twisting his insides. She had said it was only because it had matched his kimono…

"Uchiha, you're going to blow our cover!" came a gruff voice and, before he could regain his composure, rough hands drew him down until he was flat against the roof tiles.

"Let go of me," he seethed, knocking away Kiba's hands. "What the hell are _you_ doing up here?"

"The same thing you're doing, Uchiha-san," came a third voice, and Sasuke barely suppressed a groan. Of all places, he had to pick the hiding place of Rock Lee and Kiba, the two people he least wanted to see.

"And what am I doing?" he hissed, turning to glare at Lee, his Sharingan still active.

Lee gulped, but he maintained his calm. "Waiting for Ino to leave the flower shop in order to procure blossoms for your true love, of course."

Sasuke snorted and deactivated his doujutsu with a shake of the head. "And why—"

"So our girlfriends don't find out what we got them from Ino before we give them the damn things," Kiba interjected, divining his question.

Sasuke nodded. At least they had common sense. Then he blinked, startled. "Wait. You two losers have girlfriends?"

Kiba stiffened, but Lee flashed a bright smile. "I am the lucky man to call himself Tenten's boyfriend, and Kiba—"

Kiba broke in hastily, silencing Lee with a slap on the arm. "Just a civilian girl," he mumbled, shooting a glare at his companion.

But Lee grinned wickedly. "Just a civilian girl with the most beautiful smile and the most charming blue eyes. What?" he protested when Kiba glared at him. "You said so yourself."

Sasuke's head started to throb in protest as the two idiots bickered. "I thought you morons were after Sakura," he said at last, startled at the gruffness of his own voice.

"Sakura-san? Oh no," Lee replied, guileless eyes as wide as tea cups. "I only have eyes for Tenten-chan."

Kiba only grunted in agreement.

"Then why…? The other day…?" Sasuke's head swam. Why did nothing in this village make any sense?

Kiba shook his head and sniffed the air loudly. "I'm going," he muttered, and launched himself off the roof, landing on the pavement below with ninja grace and darting into the flower shop, shooting furtive glances over his shoulder.

Sasuke glared at Lee, who offered him a lukewarm smile in return. He had never liked the man—Lee had always seemed like an overgrown boy with a penchant for tears—but he did have a begrudging respect for man's Taijutsu. "Well?" Sasuke asked. "What do you have to say for yourself?"

Lee's eyes grew even wider, if that was even possible, and welled up with fresh tears. "Sasuke-san, my tears are simply from happiness that you and Sakura-san are together at last. That is all—"

Lee made a move to hurdle over the roof and follow Kiba, but Sasuke grabbed him by the arm. "Why are you two always shadowing Sakura?" he demanded, jerking back Lee's arm and forcing him to crouch beside him. "I thought you were just a pair of creepy stalkers."

The other man's face darkened, and lightning positively flashed in his round eyes. Sasuke readied his own chakra in case Lee wanted to fight, but just as soon as the anger had come into the other man's gaze, it was gone. Bushy brows furrowed over narrowing eyes—Sasuke could practically hear the rusty gears turning in the other man's head—before a sad smile split Lee's face, and new tears threatened to spill out of his round eyes.

Brushing Sasuke's grip away, Lee shook his head. "You don't understand," he said, clasping a hand to his heart. "Ever since Kiba and I failed to protect Sakura that time…" He trailed off uncertainly, but then he shook his head again and beat his chest with his fist, determination flashing in his eyes. "Since the time she tried to stop you, and you almost killed her, Kiba and I have been watching you."

Sasuke swallowed reflexively, then willed his face to remain impassive. When Sasuke didn't speak, Lee continued, fire positively leaping from his eyes, "I knew that Sakura-san's one wish was to be with you—that was the burning passion of her youth!—and I wanted her wish to succeed. But Kiba thought you couldn't be trusted after what happened." He leapt up to strike an excited pose, gesticulating wildly into the air. "So we decided to watch you—to watch over Sakura-san so we would not fail her again," he proclaimed to the sky.

Sasuke heaved a long-suffering sigh and stood as well. He did not like the man towering over him with that insane look in his eyes. "And what," he said, rounding on Lee with hand on his hip, "did you find out?"

If Lee heard the threat in his voice, he did not show it. "I believe that you have changed, Sasuke-kun," he declared, throwing an arm around Sasuke's shoulders. Sasuke gritted his teeth, but before he could toss the imbecile over the roof ledge, Lee's words made him freeze. "I believe that the power of love has changed you!" And with that, Lee patted him on the back, leaped down from the roof, and sprinted into the flower shop.

Sasuke just gaped down at the man. "Ridiculous," he muttered, mopping his brow. What had the idiot been raving about? The power of love? It was enough to make him sick up over the side of the roof. Crouching down low over the roof tiles once more, he waited until the door of the flower shop jangled open again, and Lee—pulling Kiba along by the sleeve—sped away down the crowded street, both with boxes in hand.

Despite his aching head, he swung down from the roof with the deadly grace of a predatory cat, hovering in the shadows of the alleyway for a moment before shuffling his way across the street, shoulders hunched. It had been some time now since Ino and Sakura had left the shop, and if they returned while he was trying to pick out a flower, he thought he might die of embarrassment.

The door closed behind him without a sound and he crept inside, the heady, floral scent of pollen assaulting his nose. He ducked behind a display before the woman behind the counter could spot him, a tall, pretty blonde with sad blue eyes. She looked just like Ino, albeit much older. Her mother, Sasuke thought with a frown. He wondered if she was just as nosey and unbearable as her obstreperous daughter.

When the woman went into the back room, he slinked noiselessly towards the display of roses. They were running low, Sasuke thought with a sinking heart. Had he waited too long? Yellow roses took up a length of the wall, the display mostly untouched, the placard above noting that yellow stood for friendship. That wasn't good enough for Sakura. He needed a flower to make up for last night.

Sasuke shook his head and scanned the display with growing panic. There were orange roses for adventure, purple for enchantment—what a load of drivel that was—but under the sign for blue roses, the flower of hope against all odds, there was not a single bloom left.

"Can I help you?" came a voice, and Sasuke nearly jumped. He turned around slowly, meeting blue eyes that were as endless as the ocean and just as sad as before, as if tears could spring into them at any moment.

"Ah…" Sasuke cleared his throat and pointed to the display. "Do you have any blue roses left?"

The woman shook her head. "I'm sorry, we sold the last of them this morning," she said with a secretive smile that lightened her eyes. She strode out from behind the counter and plucked a red rose from a nearby container. "We still have one red rose left though. For true love," she added, her smile widening.

He nearly choked on his spit. "I don't—that is to say… I…"

"You're Uchiha Sasuke, aren't you?" she said, laying a slender hand on his shoulder. He wanted to shake her off, but was afraid of offending the woman and leaving without a flower. She must have seen the panic in his eyes, because she said, "Don't worry. I won't tell my daughter you were here. Your secret is safe with me." She had the audacity to grin.

Taking a hasty step back, he scrambled to the door—the rose be damned!—but Ino's mother was already there, blocking the way. Was the woman a ninja? He had always thought she was a civilian. He growled, taking hold of himself. He was the most powerful ninja in the village; he would not be cowed by Ino's mother, of all people.

But the woman only laughed as she clicked the lock shut and closed the blinds. "Relax," she said, the amusement in her voice only adding fuel to Sasuke's anger. Then she twirled the red rose in front of him, and he took an unwitting step backwards, nearly toppling over a container of lilies.

"This one is on the house," she said, leaning against the door with a bemused grin. "If you could just wait a moment while I set it on a hairpin—"

"That really won't be necessary," Sasuke argued, running a hand through his hair. "I don't think red is the right color for—"

"You love her, don't you?" she said with another infuriating smile. "You do, or you wouldn't have picked blue yesterday. For hope," she added, as if explaining things to a particularly dense child.

"But the truth is that there is no hope," he retorted, anger warring with another emotion in his gut. Was it frustration? Sadness? Sadness would be foolish, and anyway, he couldn't piece it out now, not when this horrible older version of Ino was standing between him and the door. Would it be incredibly rude to shove her out of the way? He shook his head, thinking of what Sakura would say if he did, then he grit his teeth and stood his ground, glaring at the woman, his eyes twitching to activate his doujutsu.

But there was no trace of fear on the woman's face. "There is always hope," she said after a while. "If there wasn't, why would you bother giving her a flower at all?"

"Because she'd kill me if I didn't follow this stupid Hyuga custom," he said. He felt like taking another step backward, but forced himself to hold his ground.

The woman raised an eyebrow. "She'd kill you? Or she'd be disappointed?"

He grimaced. Disappointment would be worse, he thought, but he couldn't let her know that. "She deserves better than me," he said after an uncomfortable silence. "I'd be the worst thing for her." He could have bitten off his own tongue. Still, under the serene gaze of the blonde woman, he found himself adding, "I just…can't." His voice sounded small.

She tapped her mouth with the flower, lips pressed tightly together to hide what he suspected was a smile. "But you do love her." It was not a question.

Heat rushed to his cheeks. "I just told you—I can't!"

"But you do," she said with a cat-like smile. "Now tell me—you can't, or you won't? Who's in the way of getting what you want? Of what you feel?" She leaned forward and tapped the rose against his chest, as if in answer to her own question.

Too late, Sasuke realized his hand was on the verge of pulling out his own hair. "Just—I'll take the damn flower," he said from between clenched teeth, glowering at her.

Without letting Sasuke out of her sight, she glided towards the counter and rooted through a container of hairpins. How could she look through the jumble of pins without taking her eyes from him and not prick herself? The woman might as well be a ninja and if not, he did not want to cross her again. How had she gotten all of that information out of him?

Belatedly, Sasuke realized that the woman's late husband had been one of Kohona's chief interrogators. He could have hit himself. Why had he not come into the shop when it was closed and simply stolen a rose?

As if sensing his thoughts, the woman's soft voice broke the silence. "You remind me of my late husband, in a way," she said, and that sad, watery look came back into her eyes. "Do you know, he had the nerve to give me a rose with thorns on our first date."

"…And what does that mean?" he asked cautiously, edging towards the counter.

She had a knife angled against the flower's stem, but at his approach she set the blade down on the counter and regarded him with a rueful smile. "A thornless rose means love at first sight. But with thorns…" She lifted the rose and twirled it in her long fingers, never once pricking herself on the thorns. "It can mean danger, or sacrifice, or challenges. It can even mean thoughtlessness. Or loss." She swiped at her eyes.

"Keep the thorns," he said, when she reached for the knife again.

Her hand hovered over the blade before resting gently on the hilt. "Love at first sight is considered more romantic…"

Sasuke snorted. "I said, keep the thorns."

She smiled then, a secretive smile, and Sasuke wondered if that had been the woman's intention all along…

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 _Make your fanfic author smile. Please leave a review;)_


	13. Friends & Enemies & Hairdressers

Welcome back to the saga of Sasuke and Sakura:) Thanks so much for your very kind reviews and PM's; special thanks to my magnificent beta, fanofthisfiction-chan, who helped me really get some characterization down.

Without any ado, here's the next chapter. Please enjoy!

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Chapter Thirteen: Friends & Enemies & Hairdressers

Ino held Sakura's right arm captive in a vice grip as she dragged her best friend down the street, but Sakura did not care. Her attention was on the white box she cradled in her left hand, the light package seeming heavier than it truly was because of the rose nestled inside.

Sakura worried her lower lip with her teeth. Had she gotten the right kind of rose? Would Sasuke like it? Or would he just be annoyed at her for getting him another flower? It was impossible to know…

"I don't know who's more of an idiot: you, or that moron Sasuke," Ino said, her shrill voice jostling Sakura out of her thoughts. Ino's hair was coming free of the rollers, giving her a wild look, and the drape cloth around her shoulders was askew. "We'll be lucky if the hairdressers let us back in, we're so late…" She leveled Sakura a scathing look.

"Look, I know!" Sakura snapped, wrenching her arm free of Ino's grasp. Sakura gritted her teeth—blowing up at Ino would not help things—and tried to maintain a cool tone. "I just wanted to get the rose before they ran out."

"A lot of good a rose will do when your hair is streaked with dirt and your nails are all chipped," Ino retorted. "And I don't know what you were thinking, getting a rose in that color—"

"Ino," Sakura interrupted in a warning tone.

As they rounded a corner, Ino shot her another withering look. "At least you seem to be on better terms with Sasuke."

Sakura grunted noncommittally.

"But that flower—" Ino said, her tone dripping with disapproval.

"Is the perfect choice," Sakura interjected coolly.

Ino opened her mouth to say more, but they had arrived at their destination. Before Ino could protest, Sakura surged forward, jerked open the door, and ducked inside the salon. Ino followed close on Sakura's heels, but the bustling noise of the shop drowned out the blonde's whines of protest.

The hairdressers latched onto Sakura and Ino instantly, like leeches to a wound, and soon Sakura found herself pressed up against a sink, her pink tresses soaking in hot water. By the time she was ushered to a seat by her favorite hairdresser and draped with a black cloth, two manicurists scuttled forward to furiously file at her ragged nails.

"Sorry," Sakura mumbled when she looked up into the mirror and caught all three women sharing a significant look.

Her hairdresser, Nika, a thin blonde woman with startling green eyes, pursed her lips. "It's hard work keeping up with all you kunoichi," she said, offering a strained smile before combing Sakura's hair.

Sakura winced at the none-too-gentle tugging on her tangled locks, but did not complain. Already, she could feel a blush spreading from her cheeks to the nape of her neck, and she silently swore that she would leave a very generous tip. She didn't often have the luxury of getting her hair styled, but when she did, she always went to Nika.

Nika had a way of sculpting Sakura's tresses to accentuate her face, while under-emphasizing her forehead with carefully placed strands of hair. Sakura hated to admit it, as the thought made her feel like a vain civilian girl, but she did want to look good for the wedding pictures. _And for Sasuke-kun_ , another part of her mind added, but she shoved the thought firmly aside.

Sakura heaved a weary sigh as Nika curled the free strands of her hair around a hot iron. The other two women applied polish to her nails, creating a pleasant, cooling sensation on her fingertips. She was just beginning to relax into their ministrations when her eyes snapped open to find Ino's blue gaze glaring daggers at her in the mirror. Sakura was surprised the mirror didn't break from the tension.

"So what's going on with you two?" Ino demanded without preamble as she took the seat beside her.

"Not now," Sakura replied, a grimace twisting her lips, and not just because the acrid smell of the nail polish was tickling her nose.

"But that rose—" Ino began in a rising tone.

Sakura let out an exasperated huff. "Ino…" she growled.

"Why won't you give me a straight answer?" Ino replied. "I could help you! If you would only listen to me," the blonde added in an undertone.

Sakura's brow furrowed as she searched for something to say to get her so-called best friend off of her back. Gods, but her head was starting to throb. "Ino," Sakura began cautiously, "I know you're only trying to help, but—"

"How can I help when you won't listen to reason!" Ino interrupted, throwing up her hands in consternation and overturning a bottle of nail polish. Blue paint splattered a nearby manicurist. The poor woman gave an affronted cry, but Ino was oblivious to what she had done and continued to glare at Sakura.

Sakura squeezed her eyes shut and sagged against her chair, wishing the ground would open up and swallow her whole. Anything was better than dealing with Ino when she got into a pig-headed stubborn mood like this.

"Sakura-san?" Nika asked. Sakura's eyes fluttered open, and Nika flashed her a conspiratorial smile. "It's time to dry your hair."

Sakura felt Ino's eyes boring into her, but she turned away from the blonde and instead offered Nika a grateful nod. Nika whipped the drape cloth off of Sakura's shoulders with a _swoosh,_ then lead her towards rows of chairs topped by metal domes emitting the deafening noise of rushing air.

Almost every chair was taken: civilian women ranging from the petite and dainty to matronly women with doughy rolls of skin and fingers thick with rings. She even thought she recognized a few kunoichi, though it was hard to tell with those domes over their heads. Sakura had never seen the place so busy.

"Thank you, Nika-chan," Sakura murmured as she took her place in one of the few remaining chairs.

Nika winked, began lowering the dome over Sakura's head, then paused, a thoughtful expression passing over her face. "A woman should be free to love whom she pleases, how she pleases," Nika said at last, her green tilted eyes sparkling. "Without interference from busybodies."

Sakura held her hand to her lips and giggled. Then abruptly, Sakura's smile faded, and she sat back in the chair with a sigh. "Nika-chan…"

Nika patted her on the shoulder. "This is no time for worry, Sakura-san," she said, inclining her head to the side. "Last week, the world almost ended. The moon was almost blown up, and Konoha was nearly flattened by meteors! And don't forget, only two years ago the world almost ended as well. I know I don't look it," she said with a wink, making the fine lines around her eyes crinkle, "but I was alive during the Great Ninja War. We thought the world was going to end at that time, too…"

With a great sigh, Nika shook her head, her long hair splaying out over her slender shoulders. "Who's to say?" she exclaimed, throwing her hands wide as she tossed back her hair. "What if today is the last day of the world?"

Then it was Nika's turn to giggle. "Sit back and relax now," she said, giving another wink before lowering the dome over Sakura's head. The semi-darkness under the dome was pleasant, and the rush of warm air covered the hectic sounds of the salon. It was a relief to finally be alone.

With another sigh, Sakura closed her eyes and allowed her tense shoulders to relax, if only a little. _What if today is the last day of the world?_ Nika's words rang in her head. It was a good question: in Sakura's line of work, death was always stalking her and her comrades, whether it was in the hospital or on the battlefield. Knowing their lives could end at any moment made her time together with her friends so precious.

Precious, Sakura mused, but not always easy. Her thoughts turned to Sasuke-kun, and her gut clenched. When he was out on his extended missions, she never knew when he would return to Konoha—or if he would return at all. It was an anxiety that was always with her, never knowing if he was all right, never knowing if death had claimed him and she would never see him again.

She exhaled slowly, feeling drained, and shook her head. _No more thinking,_ she told herself. She relaxed her muscles one at a time: her legs. Her arms. Breathing deeply, she relaxed the tight lines of her face, released the tension around her eyes…and fell into a dream-disturbed sleep.

#

Sakura stood at the top of a mountain where the wind moaned through the bare branches of stunted trees. The night sky was punctuated by countless stars and a thin sliver of moon hanging low in the west. She looked out at the dark sky and exhaled a long, weary breath.

A hand brushed her arm, a feather light touch, and she jumped, so caught up in her own thoughts she hadn't noticed anyone approaching. Her fist was enhanced with chakra and ready to strike when she froze, recognizing the face hidden half in shadow and half bathed in red light from the nearby campfire.

"Sasuke-kun!" she rebuked, though she was grinning. "You shouldn't startle me like that."

He didn't smile back. He looked guilty. "I'll be leaving in the morning," he said, his even tone betraying nothing.

Sakura's grin faded. She gave him a quizzical look and simply nodded. When she remained silent, Sasuke added, "I'll take sentry duty. You should get some sleep."

But Sakura shook her head and sprawled out on a nearby log. "I'm not tired," she replied. "Sit with me awhile…" She patted the empty seat next to her in invitation.

There was a moment's pause before he stepped forward, his boots crunching the rocky terrain. He turned to regard the sky for a moment, blocking the light from the campfire and shadowing his profile in darkness. Just as he lowered himself down to sit beside her, a star streaked across the sky in a brilliant flash of light.

"This could be the last day of the world," Sasuke said, and although the words seemed out of place, it made sense to her, somehow.

Impulsively she took his arm and when he didn't flinch away, she leaned her head on his shoulder. "I wouldn't spend it any other way…"

 _Sakuuuuuuraaaaaa…._

A hot gust of wind whipped the tree branches, and dead leaves swirled up from the ground with a dry rattle.

"There's something I need to tell you," Sasuke said, so faintly, she almost didn't hear him.

"What is it?" she asked, raising her head to peer at him. Her heart began hammering in her chest.

 _Sa-ku-raaa!_

"I…" Sasuke paused, then took a deep breath. "I love—"

"SAKURA!"

Suddenly, the air was cold, and bright lights stung her eyes.

"Ino?" Sakura asked weakly, squinting into the harsh light of the salon. She had been having such a lovely dream…

Ino exhaled hotly. "Are you finished cooking your head yet?" she snapped.

"I must have fallen asleep," Sakura replied, abashed. She yawned, then rubbed her forehead. If only she could remember her dream! She was certain there had been something important in it…

"Come on," Ino muttered, taking Sakura's hand. "We still need to do our makeup, and I can't get into a kimono by myself." Then Ino gave Sakura a measured look, and her eyes softened with concern. "Sakura…?"

"Mmm?" she answered as she followed Ino to the exit. Sakura paused by the receptionist's desk and rifled through her wallet, leaving as generous a tip as she could afford. Ino watched Sakura through half-lidded eyes, then payed her own fee and took Sakura's arm in hers once again.

"Sakura, are you feeling okay?" Ino asked, that worried look coming back into her face.

Sakura managed a weak smile. "I've never been…" she began, but just then Ino opened the door and a cold blast of wind hit Sakura in the face, making her sneeze, and sneeze, and sneeze again. She wheezed, caught her breath, and suppressed a groan. "I've never been better?" Sakura answered at last, her smile turning sheepish.

"Bullshit," Ino retorted, shaking her head. "Honestly Sakura, you run around taking care of everyone else, but when it comes to yourself…" She snorted. "What were you even doing at the training grounds this morning when you weren't feeling well?"

Sakura just shrugged, not sure how to tell Ino what she had gone through between last night and this morning. Ino must have seen something in Sakura's expression, because the blonde sighed, shook her head, and looped her arm around Sakura's back, rubbing her hand in small circles along the back of Sakura's lungs. It was a motherly gesture, and it made Sakura smile.

"Well," Ino said, "it's a good thing I have cough syrup at the house."

"Eh? But that was a sneeze," Sakura countered. She grinned. "I don't suppose you have sneeze syrup?"

The two kunoichi regarded each other for a long, silent moment. Ino's expression warred between exasperation and amusement, but in the end amusement won, and a grin split the blonde's face.

Unable to hold back any longer, Sakura burst out laughing, great guffaws that shook her ribcage. Before she knew it, Ino was laughing too, until both girls clutched each other for support, and Sakura was left wheezing from the effort.

Ino patted her eyes with a handkerchief. "Come on," she chided. "Let's get ready for this damned wedding before you make me cry again and ruin my mascara."

Sakura gulped in a deep, steadying breath and nodded. For all of her faults, Ino was a good friend. She just hoped they could stop bickering long enough to enjoy Naruto's wedding. Though Ino wasn't really the person she was worried about.

Chewing her bottom lip, Sakura curled her hand protectively around the box from the flower shop, wondering if she had gotten the right kind of rose for Sasuke-kun…

* * *

 _Thanks for reading! And remember, every time you review, a ninja throws a shuriken at me and forces me to update ;D_


	14. Chapter Fourteen: Red & Blue

Welcome back:) I hope you all have been having fantastic summers. I hate to say it, but I've been totally enjoying the Kaguya filler arc. Does that make me a terrible person?

Anyway, thank you all kindly for your reviews and PM's, and thank you to my quiet readers who faithfully read my updates every week. Come drop me a line; I always respond to my reviews and PM's, even if it takes me a little while, and I really love getting feedback and just saying hello:)

Special thanks to **Fanofthisfiction** , who beta'd this chapter and who makes writing fanfic more fun:)

* * *

 _Chapter Fourteen: Red & Blue_

Sakura threaded her way through town, her sandals clacking against the pavement. The sun shone in a clear sky, melting the remnants of last night's snow. Sad snowmen slumped on lawns and icicles dripped from every roof shining like crystal. She hummed tunelessly to herself, in no particular hurry. Which was just as well, because visitors from every nation crammed the city streets.

The milling crowd wore everything from kimono to suits to formal dresses, and quite a few wore the uniform of the unified shinobi army. For every face she knew, there were ten that she did not, but even those she didn't recognize waved greetings or stopped to shake her hand. Some of the uniform-clad nin even offered her military salutes. Sakura supposed it was hard to hide, given her tell-tale shock of pink hair and her reputation.

She returned their greetings warmly, even if she didn't know them by name. There was a certain euphoria to surviving the end of the world, she thought with a wry smile, and that euphoria was only heightened by the impending wedding of everyone's hero: Naruto.

By the time she reached the outlying Uchiha district, little more than barren fields surrounding Sasuke's house, it was already much later than she had intended to arrive.

She made her way up the walkway, her stomach tightening. She felt a buzzing in her head, as if a hive of angry bees were trapped inside her skull. Clutching the box from the flower shop a little tighter than necessary, she jogged up the steps to Sasuke's house, her shoes making a rapid _clack-clack-clack._ She rapped on the door, shifting from foot to foot.

The door opened with a slow _creeeeeek._ "You're late," Sasuke said, slouching in the doorway.

She laughed nervously. If only the bees in her head would stop humming so she could think clearly. "Sorry, Sasuke-kun," she replied. When he only glowered at her, she bit her lip and, not knowing what else to do, handed him the package wrapped in tissue paper. "Here." She forced a tight smile. "I thought you might like this."

Slowly, as if afraid the thing might bite, Sasuke took the package from her clammy fingers. With the deftness Sakura would not have thought possible of a man with only one hand, he tore off the wrapping and opened the box. She searched anxiously for his reaction, but his face remained smooth.

"Oh," he said, placing the box on a nearby table and drawing out the rose.

It was a dark shade of blue with hints of crimson, fastened to a pin by silver thread. Suddenly unsure of herself, she toed the ground. "You mentioned your mother liked them," she said. "It was the last one in the store."

He didn't move. Not even a facial muscle twitched. Maybe it was difficult for him to pin the flower with only one hand? Worrying her lip with her teeth, she stepped forward and cupped the flower in her hands, pinning it to his lapel as quickly as she could before stepping back again.

It looked nice with his black kimono, she thought with satisfaction. And it complemented the blue highlights in his hair, made his dark eyes seem darker. When his gaze met hers she looked away quickly, a blush staining her cheeks.

"I guess we should go then?" she asked when he didn't say anything.

He shook his head. "Wait," he said, and he disappeared inside the house. She peered after him, then took a step inside.

Despite the sunshine outside, the house was dark and cold. She suppressed a shiver and rubbed her arms, gooseflesh rising on her chilled skin. Her eyes roamed the bare room, the stark walls. It was like no one lived here, she thought with a sigh.

Sasuke stepped out of the kitchen, his expression still unreadable. "Here," was all he said as he handed her a box wrapped in white paper, a twin of the one she had given him.

Her mouth twitched up into a smile. "But I still have the one you gave me last night," she said, pointing to the flower in her hair. The blue rose was still there and, courtesy of Ino's skill, it looked good as new.

He scowled. "I thought… Never mind," he said, pressing the package into her open palms.

She stood still for a moment, weighing the package in her hands. "Thank you," she said at last, neatly unfolding the paper and unfastening the lid. She opened her mouth to say more, but her voice died as her eyes fell on the rose.

It was red.

She realized her mouth was hanging open and hastily snapped it shut.

"You don't like it," Sasuke said. It was not a question.

"I…" She trailed off, then sat down on a cushion on the floor, not trusting her unsteady legs. Unable to speak, she took the flower out of the box, trying to keep her hands from trembling. The floor seemed to lurch under her, and her head spun. She could not look away from the red rose.

Once, as part of a training exercise, she had run up a sheer cliffside while blindfolded. She remembered what it felt like when, upon reaching the top of the crest, she had taken the blindfold off. The sunlight had been so bright, it had hurt her eyes as she gazed at the horizon stretching endlessly on all sides. The wind had howled in her ears, and the sound of the crashing ocean below her had matched the pounding of her heart against her ribcage.

It was like that now: as if the space around her had suddenly expanded into a blinding, breathtaking vista.

"You don't have to wear it, if you don't want to," Sasuke said. He sounded so sullen, almost guilty.

Her eyes snapped up from the rose to his face, but his expression was as smooth and expressionless as stone. Was he upset? Did he even know what a red rose meant?

"Of course I want to wear it," she said in a strained whisper. She searched his eyes for an answer and found none.

He looked away from her gaze quickly. "Oh," was all he said.

Biting her lip, she peered down at the flower again. It was a deep crimson, as red as blood. Slowly, ever so slowly, she moved to pin it into her hair—

And gave a little yelp when she pricked her finger. "It has thorns," she said, incredulous. She sucked her bleeding finger, the metallic taste of blood filling her mouth.

"I…" Sasuke trailed off, his gaze falling to the floor.

Something about his look of utter confusion made her smile. "I love it," she said with a little laugh, taking care to pin it in her hair opposite from the blue rose. "Thank you."

He exhaled sharply, looking relieved. Then he turned away from her, fiddling with the blue rose on his lapel. "My father gave my mother blue roses once a year," he said, his voice so low, it was as if he was talking to himself. "I never found out why." He shrugged, then twisted to look at her sideways. "Maybe Itachi knew, but he never told me."

"Maybe it was for their anniversary," Sakura offered, twisting the hem of her kimono.

He shrugged again. "Maybe." He gazed out of the window, a far away look in his eyes. He was quiet for a long time. Sakura didn't say anything, knowing he was lost in memories of his family. She wished she could say something to ease his pain, but she didn't have the words and anyway, sadness made her throat too tight to speak.

So she knelt on the floor in silence, watching him. Her hand traveled up to touch the red and blue roses in her hair. She wondered what Sasuke was trying to tell her with the flowers; if he was trying to tell her anything at all.

Finally she stood, her eyes never leaving his profile. Sunlight streamed in from the window, painting his face with golden light. But he still seemed so cold, as beautiful and remote as a snowy mountain.

"Come on," she whispered, brushing his arm. "We should go."

He snapped out of his reverie at her touch. When he didn't flinch away from her, she tucked her arm into his and led him towards the door.

"Wait." His expression still an unreadable mask, he released her and strode into the kitchen. Sakura leaned against the doorframe and for the first time, noticed the packed bag by the front door, a sleeping roll strapped to the top. She bit her lip. Was he going to leave tonight, so soon after the wedding?

 _What if today is the last day of the world?_ she thought, and was surprised when a smile played on her lips. Had that been something Nika had said, or something from a dream? She wasn't sure, but she didn't care, because the words rang true.

She toyed with the roses in her hair as Sasuke reappeared in the living room, the red rose she had given him yesterday now pinned next to the blue one. Laughter bubbled out of her and she flashed him a smile.

"We match now," she said, taking his arm again, relief flooding her when he did not pull away.

He offered her a wry grin, though it didn't quite reach his eyes, and nodded. Together, they walked out into the brilliant sunshine.

#

Sasuke was silent on the walk to the temple, lost in thought. From time to time, he cast surreptitious glances at Sakura and wondered at her slight smile. For a moment, he had worried he had offended her with that red rose; but it seemed as though Naruto was right. The damn thing _had_ made her happy.

Still, whenever he caught sight of that flash of red in her hair, he felt an odd prickling sensation in the pit of his stomach, and his heart constricted in his chest.

What in the world had he been thinking, giving her something like a red rose? He shook his head, disgusted with himself. Ino's mother had addled his brains. Had he given Sakura the wrong idea? Why was she smiling like that? He shook his head again. Well, at least this was easier to bear than her tearstained eyes—or her raging temper.

"Sasuke-kun," Sakura said, drawing him out of his thoughts, "I saw your bag in the hallway. Will you be leaving soon?"

"Yes," he replied haltingly. He braced himself, knowing she would ask him when he would return. He dreaded having to answer her, to see her crestfallen expression.

But instead of the teary eyes he expected to see, Sakura gave his arm a squeeze as she smiled up at him. "That makes today even more special," she said, her quiet laughter making her eyes crinkle.

He gave a sudden start, a strange sense of deja vu overcoming him. Had Sakura said something like this before? Or had it been a dream? He had a faint memory of cherry blossom petals floating on the wind, and something about drinking sake. But no matter how he racked his brain, he couldn't really remember.

He snorted at his reaction, shaking off his ill-ease. At Sakura's questioning look, he colored. "I guess you're right," he said hurriedly, and she laughed again, bright clear laughter that rang in the air. He just shrugged. When her bright eyes sparkled up at him, he added, "It hasn't been a bad visit."

She tittered at that, and they fell into a companionable silence. Outwardly, Sasuke maintained his cool expression, but inside, his thoughts tumbled though his mind. Sakura was acting strangely today and he had no idea why.

Last night, she had been ready to kill him, or weep because of him, or both. Today, she was nothing but friendly smiles. His eyes flickered to her face, studying her. She was humming under her breath, though she was out of key, and that small smile still played on her lips.

When she caught him staring, her smile broadened into a grin, but she didn't say anything, just patted his arm.

"You always were terrible at singing," he blurted out. Then he gulped. Why was he always this stupid?

To his shock, she chuckled. "I'm not singing! I'm humming." She poked his side with her elbow. Hard.

He tried not to wince, but she must have seen something in his expression, because she said, "Blue is a nice color for you. It softens your eyes." She glanced away quickly and spots of color bloomed in her cheeks.

"Ah…thanks." He flinched, then bowed his head, still glancing at her sidelong. Heedless of him, she continued to hum as they walked, admiring the flowers dotting the roadside.

Her hair was swept up into a neat bun, where the blue and red roses sat. They looked…nice. Something about the deep red brought out the green of her eyes, seemed to heighten the color in her cheeks. And where his kimono was plain black, hers was black slashed with red and pink, embroidered with pink cherry blossoms falling over black and red swirls.

He wanted to activate his Sharingan, just so he could etch the sight of her into his eyes. She looked so bright and beautiful. He almost did it, but then she looked up at him, and her brilliant smile made him suddenly feel too warm. He raked a hand through his hair and glanced away.

"Do you get lonely sometimes, when you're away on your long missions?" Sakura asked him. His eyes snapped back to hers, and he opened his mouth, but no answer came. "Never mind," she said, covering her mouth. For the first time, he noticed her perfectly manicured nails, glinting bright red in the sunlight, the color of a perfectly ripe apple.

"It's okay," he said. And then: "I've never seen you wear nail polish." It was a stupid thing to say. He grimaced.

She waved a dismissive hand. "When I work in the hospital, I have to wash my hands so many times, the polish would chip the first day I put it on. And then, when I'm training…" She shrugged. "Manicures and rocks don't mix."

Chuckling, Sasuke nodded, and their comfortable silence resumed. He didn't know what was stranger: that he was talking about nail polish with Sakura, or that her question had thrown him off balance. Lonely? Him? He turned it over and over in his mind, but he couldn't sort it out.

"What does being lonely…mean? To you?" He was startled by his own question and, judging by the way Sakura tensed on his arm, she was too. When she remained silent, he said, "Never mind. It's a stupid question."

"I don't think it is," she replied. He chanced a sidelong glance to find her peering up at him, lips pursed. "When you're away, I worry about you. I wonder if you'll return. If you're still alive. I miss you. That's one way of being lonely, I guess…"

Silence stretched between them, their footfalls the only sound. Sasuke felt hollow in the center of his chest, as if something was missing. "I guess…" He shifted uncomfortably. "I guess I do feel alone, sometimes. But I've always been alone." He shrugged. "Maybe I'm just used to it."

The dirt path became a paved road. He could see a throng of people clogging the streets up ahead and tensed.

"Sasuke-kun?" The seriousness of her voice made him look at her. Green liquid eyes met his gaze. There were little flecks of gold in her irises where the sunlight sparkled in them. Had he never noticed before? He didn't know who stopped walking first but suddenly there they were, standing stock still in the middle of the street. He didn't care. There were gold flecks in her eyes and he had never noticed before. The realization made his throat tighten.

Then Sakura smiled, and the spell was broken. "If it counts for anything, you're always in my thoughts, Sasuke-kun." She tilted her head to the side and her smile widened. "You're always with me."

He blinked. "I…" He had the disorienting sensation that the street was moving under him. He took a deep breath, steadying himself. "Thank you."

Then Sakura took his hand in hers and led him down a side street. "I know a shortcut to the temple." And without warning, she enhanced her feet with chakra and jumped up onto the side of a building. "No need to plow through that crowd."

 _Thank you, Sakura._ Sasuke heaved a relieved sigh and followed Sakura up to the roof. She was surprisingly fast in her platform sandals, but he had no trouble keeping up. They jogged over rooftops, leaping from building to building, the cool wind rushing in their faces. He let Sakura lead, just so he could watch her. It was like he was seeing her for the first time.

"It's down this way," she called over her shoulder. She moved to leap down, then paused and took his hand in both of hers. Her smile was more luminous than the sunshine glittering off the snow. "Sorry," she said, "but we'll have to join the crowd."

He felt a pang at that, but didn't show it. It was quiet up here on the rooftop. And he had enjoyed the walk. But all he did was nod, and together, they flew down the side of the building, the Uzumaki shrine looming just ahead of them.

* * *

 _Thanks for reading! Please make your fanfic writer smile and leave a review:)_


	15. Chapter Fifteen: Words & Left & Unspoken

Hi friends, welcome back! In this chapter, Naruto and Hinata finally get married:) Buckle your seat belts!

Special thanks to **Fanofthisfiction,** for being the best beta ever. Without her, this chapter would not have been published today:)

* * *

 _Chapter Fifteen: Words & Left & Unspoken_

"Theeeeere you guys are!" came a familiar, boisterous voice. Sakura looked up and there was Naruto, looking as groomed as she had ever seen him and likely ever would. His usually unruly blond hair was combed and gelled, and he wore a formal black kimono with bright orange sleeves. She had never seen him smile so brightly before, and it made her own grin widen.

She let go of Sasuke's hand with regret—she wouldn't want to embarrass him in front of all these people—but to her surprise, he stepped forward and took her arm in his once more. If Naruto noticed, he didn't say anything, only grinned his ear-splitting grin and ushered them to their spot in the procession.

The square was mobbed with people. Children ran underfoot in every direction, twirling streamers and shouting, while ninja from every village pressed in from all sides, a wall of laughing, whistling revelers.

Tsunade pulled Sakura aside as she took her place in line, and Sasuke relinquished her arm to speak to Naruto in low whispers. Over the din of the crowd, she couldn't hear much, but she did catch a few words: _Just read the damn thing,_ and _You'll do fine, moron. They're good._ Before she could overhear Naruto's response, Tsunade leaned in to speak in her ear.

"You seem to be getting on well with the Uchiha brat."

She shot her mentor a sour look. "Tsunade-sama, is that sake on your breath? Already?"

A look of mock-wounded indignation passed over the former Hokage's face. "What? Today's a wedding, and for Kami's sake, the world almost ended this week. I think I deserve— _hiccup!_ —a drink." Then she gave Sakura a wink and drew a flask out of the wide sleeves of her kimono. "Want a swig?"

Sakura rolled her eyes and laughed. Just then, Kakashi approached with his signature lackluster wave. Sakura waved back as he took his place next to Tsunade.

"Kakashi— _hiccup!_ —brat, have a drink," Tsunade insisted, shoving her flask into Kakashi's outstretched, protesting hands.

Kakashi looked at the flask, then at Tsunade who had a shark-like grin plastered to her face. "No thanks," Kakashi said in a tired voice, his harried expression making Sakura giggle despite herself.

"Hi sensei!" Sakura chimed, patting his arm. She took the flask and handed it back to Tsunade, who mumbled under her breath about how _ninja these days didn't know how to have any fun,_ before she took another gulp.

But there was no time for Sakura to really say much more than a quick hello, because the droning procession music began and the shouting of the crowd died down to an excited hush. She had just enough time to wave to Ino, up at the head of the line, before they started the slow walk to the temple.

She fell in step beside Sasuke and, when she chanced a glance at his face, her heart sank a little. He had that focused look in his eyes, staring straight ahead like nobody else in the world existed—that soldier-in-enemy-territory look.

Worrying her lip with her teeth, she threaded her arm through his again. He must have noticed her looking up at him because he met her gaze, and right then a little light came back into his eyes. She could still feel the tension in the way he held himself, but his lips curved up in the slightest of smiles.

Raising herself up on tiptoe, she whispered in his ear. "You're home." She didn't know exactly why she said it but it seemed the right thing to say. He nodded. She gave his hand a squeeze and he chuckled softly. She didn't know what he found so funny, but she didn't have the courage to ask.

The procession passed under the arched gates of the temple and into a wide courtyard. Well, courtyard wasn't quite the right word: the place was as big as an open meadow, taking up twice the space the tent at the Hyuga estate had. Sakura glanced behind her at the crowd pouring in after them and wondered if the courtyard would be big enough to hold them all.

"Look at the rooftops," Sasuke bent down to whisper in her ear, and she gave a little start at his proximity, the feel of his breath against her ear. She shivered, then looked up. Every roof in the nearby vicinity was now crowded with people, and some even held binoculars.

She snorted. "That's insane," she breathed, twisting her head every which way to look up at the spectators.

Tsunade glanced over her shoulder at Sakura and flashed a toothy grin. "He is the village hero," she whispered, a bit too loudly. The wizened priest peered from his place at the front of the line and shot Sakura a withering look.

Exhaling sharply, Sakura stood straight, head raised high in what she hoped was a respectable pose. "I guess you're right," Sakura said through her teeth, hoping that if she didn't move her lips, the priest wouldn't know she was breaking the solemnity of the moment.

The procession wound its way to the center of the clearing where a high dais stood, looking more like a stage than an altar. Tsunade gave Sakura a wink before the older woman took her place in the first row with Kakashi, and then she and Sasuke ascended the platform.

Sakura looked out over the sea of people and the spot between her shoulder blades itched. Why had she ever agreed to this? She went over the mental list of her tasks— _all you have to do is look pretty and pour sake—_ but she still licked her dry lips and glanced at Sasuke. He looked as expressionless and as cool as stone, but she knew he liked being in front of so many eyes even less than she did.

The priest said the traditional welcome and cleansed the wedding couple, then the crowd. As he read the customary introduction to the ceremony, Sakura studied the wedding couple. Hinata looked as white as the ivory hood of her dress, and even Naruto looked ill. If she ever had a wedding, Sakura mused, she would not invite all the inhabitants of the Five Nations to witness. It was bad enough having to officiate at someone else's wedding.

Then it was time for her and Sasuke to pour the ritual sake, and there was no more time for idle thought. _I will not slosh the sake,_ Sakura told herself, one eye on Sasuke, the other eye trained on Hinata's cup.

By the time the ritual was over, her back itched with sweat, but she had poured the sake the prescribed amount of times without spilling a drop. Sighing in relief, she relinquished the gilded pitchers to the shrine maidens and strode off the stage to take her seat behind Tsunade and Kakashi.

As Sasuke sat next to her, she noticed he was scowling. "It's a wedding," she whispered in his ear.

"Tch. I know that," he grumbled. Then he took a slow, deep breath, and schooled his face to calm once more. "I'm just glad that's over with."

She leaned against him, placing her hand over his. When he stiffened, she made to move away, but he took her hand in his. Her heart beat a little faster, and she swallowed, trying to work moisture back into her mouth. Sasuke looked at her with an inscrutable expression, then gestured with his head to the dais.

"I just wanted to thank everyone for coming here," Naruto said, his voice sounding a bit hoarse. "And I especially wanted to thank Sakura, for, well, showing me what an idiot I was and helping Hinata and me get together."

Naruto paused, and the crowd chuckled. Sakura felt her cheeks heating but she smiled as Naruto caught her gaze. Naruto gave Sakura a thumbs up before his eyes slid to Sasuke. "And Sasuke too," Naruto added cheerfully, "for helping me with my vows." He offered the crowd a nervous smile, then cleared his throat. "Well, here goes."

Sakura bent to whisper in Sasuke's ear. "You helped him with his vows?" She tried and failed to keep the incredulity out of her voice.

But Sasuke didn't reply. His eyes flickered to hers for an instant, giving away nothing, then returned to focus on Naruto and the dais.

Naruto turned to Hinata and took a crumpled piece of paper from his pocket, holding it in trembling hands. "Hinata, I was up all night writing these vows. Every time I began, the words wouldn't come out right. I guess you could say I'm not much of a speaker, but it's really because what I want to say is so much bigger than what I can fit on this piece of paper. I love you…"

As Naruto fidgeted and read his vows, Sakura's throat closed up, and tears trickled down her face. Sasuke had helped him with this? It was…beautiful. She swiped at her face with the back of her hand, but the tears continued to flow.

"Even though Sakura is right when she says that you are almost too good for me," Naruto continued, the mention of Sakura's name nearly making her jump, "I hope you'll always love me as much as I love you. I've never had a family before—at least, a family of my own—but being with you is like coming home to myself. Hinata, I love you, and I will love you as long as I live, and maybe even longer. I love you." Another nervous smile, and a smattering of applause from the crowd, joined by hollers from the nearby rooftops.

A little sigh escaped Sakura's lips. "That was beautiful." Sniffling, she turned to Sasuke. "You really helped him write that?"

He had a pained, pinched look about him, as if he had just eaten too many umboshi plums. "I… Yes." He inhaled sharply.

Her mouth parted in a wide smile, fresh tears welling up in her eyes. She sniffled again, then gave a start when Sasuke handed her a handkerchief. Patting her eyes dry, she studied his expression: studiously cool, except for the flicker of uncertainty in his eyes. "It was beautiful," she whispered, smiling up at him.

Something moved across his eyes, like the flash of a golden koi in a pond, but it disappeared as suddenly as it came. "Thank you," was all he said, and then Hinata was reading her vows, her tremulous voice rising over the crowd.

"N-n-naruto-k-kun," she began, then sucked in a deep breath. Sakura chewed the inside of her cheek as she watched Hinata, able to feel the palpable weight of the bride's nervousness.

Then Hinata's eyes flashed, and she stood up straight as if squaring off to face an enemy. "Naruto-kun, I love you more than I can say." Her voice rang this time, sure and strong. "I knew it from the first moment I met you…"

Sakura let the words wash over her, the tears pouring down freely over her cheeks. She didn't know why she was crying so much! It was just that the vows were so beautiful, it made her heart ache.

"And even when I thought our love was impossible—when I was imprisoned on the moon and thought the world might end—I never gave up hope and I never stopped loving you."

Naruto swept a hand over his face, but his eyes still shone with tears as he took Hinata's hands. Together, they offered blessings to the spirits by waving the sacred branch, and the priest proclaimed that they were now wed. Roaring applause ensued. It didn't look like Naruto or Hinata heard it. They were too busy embracing.

"Are you all right?" Sasuke asked, his voice almost lost in the din.

Sakura choked back a sob, wiping her eyes one final time. She was glad of the waterproof mascara Ino had insisted on, otherwise she would have had miserable raccoon eyes by now. "Of course I'm all right," she said, smiling through her tears. Sasuke did not look convinced, but his worry only made her smile deepen. "I'm crying because I'm happy, Sasuke-kun…"

"If you say so." He reached over and gave her an awkward pat on the back. The stricken look on his face made her hiccup with laughter and, without thinking, she leaned forward and planted a chaste kiss on his cheek. Then she reeled back, horrified.

She hadn't thought about what she was doing, she had just done it. Sakura's heart thudded in her chest, and it was all she could do not to gape at her own stupidity. Had she ruined the tentative intimacy she and Sasuke had shared this morning? As her mind whirled, Sasuke sat as still and expressionless as a statue. Only the flickering of his eyes gave away his shock.

The crowd around them rose to its feet, and Sakura took the opportunity to take Sasuke's arm and to turn her face from his. "Come on," she said, her cheeks burning hotter than the late morning sun overhead, "I could use a drink."

She was losing her wits, Sakura thought, as Sasuke's hand held hers in a rigid grip. She laced her fingers through his and pulled him forward through the crowd, cursing herself all the while, her free hand unconsciously touching the red rose in her hair.

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 _Thank you for reading and please review 0:)_


	16. Chapter Sixteen: Cats & Dogs

Kyyaaaa, update time! Welcome back friends. Thanks for all your lovely words and encouragement. Special thanks to fanofthisfiction-chan, for beta-ing and for moral support.

:)

* * *

 _Chapter Sixteen: Cats & Dogs_

"Thank Kami he didn't invite the whole village to the reception," Sakura confided to Sasuke as they made their way through the packed streets to the Hyuga estate.

Sasuke only grunted in agreement, his muscles tense. The crowd pressed thickly around them, but there was no way to escape. Already, revelers were swarming the bars and drinking openly in the streets. It was rowdier than any holiday. There were even booths set up along the streets with brightly colored banners proclaiming sweets or advertising games as if this were the summer festival.

Sasuke wished he could escape the celebrations, but he supposed that was impossible. He had already hurt Naruto's feelings by leaving the rehearsal dinner early. There was nothing to do but to suffer through this.

Sakura squeezed his arm and his expression softened. Funny, but he never would have abided her being so close to him before. Somehow, her presence was a comforting anchor in the midst of all these people.

She had thrown him off guard with that kiss—but he assured himself it was nothing more then getting swept up by the aftermath of Naruto's wedding. It had only been a peck on the cheek. Just a friendly gesture, and nothing to get alarmed over. Right?

Sakura's green eyes met his, and the light shining in them made him tense. "Thank you."

He tilted his head. "For what?" he asked.

But she just shook her head and smiled.

As they strode on, the crowd thinned to a steady trickle of people making their way to the Hyuga estates. The paper lanterns swung lazily, and flowers pushed their way up through the snow to bloom, purple crocuses and yellow daffodils swaying in a warm breeze that smelled of melting snow. As they crested the hill, the reception tent rose up like a huge monolith, its windows flashing gold in the sunlight.

The thought of being crammed into that tent again amidst a throng of people set his teeth on edge. "How long is this reception going to last?" Sasuke grumbled, and he cursed himself when Sakura frowned.

"Just for a few hours," she answered, and he thought her tone was carefully neutral. Almost too neutral. "Then there's the second, more informal gathering tonight. But you knew that, didn't you?"

When she caught Sasuke's expression, her frown deepened. Clearly, he did not know there would be not one but _two_ receptions. As if all of Konoha celebrating a week-long festival wasn't enough! "You won't leave before the second reception, will you?" Sakura asked, her tone holding a hint of warning.

He didn't trust himself to respond. So, he thought. The torture would last all day.

His feelings must have shown on his face, because Sakura drew him aside, her expression grim. She chewed her lip, as if searching for the right thing to say, then shook her head. "I won't tell you what you should do…"

He arched an eyebrow. "That would be a first," he said without thinking.

"Not that you ever listen!" she hissed, her eyes flashing with emerald fire. "Sasuke, is it too much to ask that you spend one day with the people you love?" She gulped, perhaps thinking she had said too much, then turned away from him, her shoulders shaking—though whether from tears or from anger, he could not tell.

Sasuke cast about for something mollifying to say. "It's not… I just…" He trailed off and exhaled hotly. Why could he never say the right thing? And they had been getting along so well before he had ruined it!

He tried again. "I didn't realize it would be an all-day event. That's all." A week long event, truth be told; a long, _long_ week of being forced to sit through awkward social situations. He would have preferred having his fingernails ripped off one-by-one than having to endure this kind of torture, but he knew he owed it to Naruto—and to Sakura too.

 _With the people you love._ Sakura's voice echoed in his head, and he felt a pang in his chest. "I'm sorry. I'll…stay."

She shot him an inscrutable look over her shoulder, her eyes blazing, then she strode off along the path again without waiting for him. Forcing his jaw to relax, he turned after her, listening to the hard _slap_ of her shoes against the cobblestones.

Was she angry, or just upset? Was there a difference? He drew his hand to his forehead, as if he could stall the beginnings of a headache through force of will.

As the flower-festooned gates of the Hyuga compound loomed into view, Sakura slowed her pace and walked alongside him without looking at him or saying a word. He wondered, briefly, if he should try to say something but decided against it. Anything he said now would be held against him. Still, he found himself reaching for her arm before hurriedly drawing back again.

 _Tonight,_ he reminded himself, gritting his teeth. _I'll leave tonight. After the damned second reception._ _Before I snap._

"Sasuke—"

"What?" he shot back before he could stop himself.

Pained eyes met his for a moment, then glanced away. "…Nothing."

"Sakura…" He cleared his throat. "What?"

She paused just in front of the gates, giving him a veiled look from under her eyelashes. Gods, but she was pretty even when she was nettling him to no end. He shook himself, startled at his own thoughts, and took a deep breath. If only his foolish thoughts would stop long enough for him to figure out something sensible to say.

Just when he thought she was about to give up, she squeezed her eyes shut and took a deep breath. "Thank you."

"…For what?" He eyed her warily.

Regarding him with that unreadable expression again, she smiled, though it didn't quite reach her eyes.

The world spun around him. Did nothing make sense anymore? He raked a hand through his hair, trying not to growl, when a shrill voice rent the air.

"Sakura-neechan! Sasuke-niisan!"

 _Niisan?_ Eyes narrowing, Sasuke spun around just in time to see a black blur zooming towards him. He took a staggering step back but it didn't stop the girl from throwing her arms around his waist.

"Hanabi-chan?" Sakura giggled and received the girl's second hug with more grace than Sasuke had. So this was Hinata's younger sister. She wore huge black sunglasses which gave the impression that her eyes were too big for her head, and her long black hair was bound in pink ribbons fluttering above her black kimono.

She turned to Sasuke again and he braced himself for an attack—or a hug—but all she did was smile and bounce on the balls of her feet.

"Since Naruto-baka and Hinata-neechan are married," she proclaimed in a matter-of-fact tone, "then that makes us family. Because Naruto's like your brother. Don't you think?" She bounced up and down again, and those huge sunglasses turned to face him.

Sasuke took a step back, but Sakura caught his arm, holding him captive. "That's very sweet, Hanabi-chan." She elbowed Sasuke in the ribs. Dammit, but it hurt when she did that! "Don't you think so, Sasuke-kuuuun?"

Sasuke choked on his own spit. Women. It didn't matter what age they were, he would never figure them out, not even if he lived to be a hundred.

Hanabi moved to take Sasuke's other arm and, upon realizing that he lacked one, pouted and grabbed his empty sleeve instead. "Sasuke-nii…" She stood up on her tiptoes, her pout deepening. When Sakura jabbed him in the ribs again, he grunted and bent his ear down.

"Yes, Hanabi?" He tried not to growl but, judging from the third elbow to the ribs from Sakura, he supposed he failed. He was going to have an awful bruise on his side by the end of the day…

Hanabi grabbed him by the collar and giggled into his ear. "I have a proposition for you, Sasuke-niisan! I'll say more when I can get you—" more giggling bubbled out of the girl— "when I can get you alone!" Chortling, she ran off, leaving Sasuke still bent at a weird angle.

He stared after her and straightened. "What the hell was that?"

"Don't look at me," Sakura replied. She hid her mouth with her hand. Her shoulders were quivering. Was she…laughing at him?

Scowling, he pushed through the gates, Sakura still holding his arm hostage and shaking with what he was sure was barely suppressed mirth.

 _All women are crazy._

As if his thoughts had summoned her, Ino rounded the bend coming towards them, Sai following close alongside her.

"Oh Sasuke-kun!" Ino called. "Forehead!"

"Ugly-chan. Psycho-kun," Sai said with a smile plastered to his face.

Sasuke closed his eyes briefly, reminding himself that he had just promised Sakura he would remain. Then his eyes snapped open, surveying the two nin. It was basic training that one did not close one's eyes in front of enemies. Especially when they looked ready to attack.

"Ino-chan. Sai-kun." Sakura's lips stretched tight in a smile. "You both look wonderful."

Sasuke considered the ninja before him. Ino's kimono was much too tight in his opinion, revealing her curvy figure underneath folds of blue silk threaded with gold embroidery. Her bright red lips puckered in a contemplative twist, and her eyes narrowed, her shimmering blue eyeshadow seeming to add extra frost to her stare.

It's not that Ino looked _bad_ , per se, but she was gaudy in his opinion. Next to her, Sai looked colorless: his black silk kimono made his pale skin look even paler, and the red rose in his lapel made his face look bloodless. Like a vampire, Sasuke thought with a smirk.

Ino stepped forward and took Sakura's other arm. "Forehead-chaaan, do you think I could have a word with you?"

Sakura opened her mouth—to protest, judging by the looks of it—but Ino hauled her off before she could say a word. Leaving Sasuke alone. With Sai.

"Hey Psycho—"

"Would you stop calling me that?" Sasuke snapped. His eyes followed Sakura and Ino, but Sai wouldn't leave him alone.

"I read in a book somewhere that—"

"I don't care."

"—nicknames can help you make friends. Not that I really care to make friends with you, though. Force of habit, you might say."

Sasuke pried his eyes off of Sakura long enough to catch Sai's fake smile. Deciding that Sakura might get upset if he murdered her best friend's date, Sasuke returned to study Ino and Sakura, ignoring Sai.

The two women had stopped under a cherry blossom tree and they seemed to be arguing. Sakura's face was flushed an angry red, and Ino's shoulders were shaking, though he couldn't see the blonde's face since her back was turned towards him.

"Hard to take your eyes off my date?" Sai asked in a syrupy tone.

"The wedding cake will have less frosting," Sasuke muttered. Should he make a beeline for the tent and leave Sai as soon as possible? Or should he wait for Sakura? He wasn't sure how long he could restrain himself from decking this asshole.

"Is that a joke?" Sai asked. "What part of Ino is frosted?"

Sasuke pinched the bridge of his nose. If he had to explain that he was insulting Ino's makeup, it would take away the barb. Thankfully, before Sai could get another word in, Ino and Sakura returned. The Mangekyou Sharingan aside, if looks could kill, the kunoichi would have glared each other dead.

Ino coiled herself around Sai's arm and dragged him up the path without a word. As they departed, Sasuke could dimly hear Sai asking Ino about frosting and, as the couple walked up the hill, he was privileged to see Ino deliver a resounding _slap_ to her date's face.

His satisfaction was short lived though. Sakura, muttering under her breath, grabbed ahold of his arm and hauled him alongside her. Just when Sakura had gotten over her previous bout of temper, Ino had to set her off again.

"What was that all about?" he asked. The minute the words left his lips, Sasuke wished he had remained quiet.

"None of your business," Sakura snapped, green flames practically billowing from her eyes. Her grip tightened on his arm until he began to lose feeling in his fingers, but he did not say another word.

At the entrance to the pavilion, a large crowd milled around a table draped in white lace, picking up cards with their seating arrangements. Sakura stomped forward, nearly shoving other guests out of the way to make a dive for their card, then dragged Sasuke after her into the tent.

It was unbearably hot inside from the press of hundreds of people. A waitress offered him a glass of something iced but he could not take it, as his only arm was held captive by Sakura. Sighing, he tried not to make eye contact with anyone as Sakura drew him inextricably closer to the center of the tent.

"Damn. Ino-Pig is at our table."

Sasuke thought it wise not to remind Sakura that it would make sense to have her sitting next to her best friend. He grunted in lieu of a response. It was a large table, but it was circular, so there was no way to escape interacting with the blonde kunoichi and her date. Muttering, Sakura led them to the spot farthest away from Ino and Sai and scooted the flower arrangement a bit closer so as to block out the two from sight.

Just as Sasuke took his seat and Sakura relinquished his arm long enough for him to pluck an iced drink from a nearby tray, the empty chair next to him moved. He looked up just in time to see Kiba invading the vacant spot, his teeth bared in a feral smile. Sasuke looked into his drink, wishing he had Kakashi's old talent of sucking enemies into an alternate dimension. Better yet, he could disappear himself.

"Kiba-kun," Sakura called, starting up from her seat, "why don't you and your date sit next to me? I've been dying to spend some time with your new girlfriend."

Sasuke glanced up. Kiba grimaced, but the woman on his arm Sasuke hadn't noticed before brightened and drew Kiba towards Sakura. She was a pretty girl, though still a bit average: brown hair drawn up in a simple chignon, a purple rose offsetting her deep brown eyes.

"I'm Tamaki," she said, offering a delicate hand to Sakura. "You must be Sakura-chan. I've heard so much about you!"

And with that, Kiba and his date moved to sit alongside Sakura. Sasuke exhaled softly and leaned back against the chair. Sakura offered him a small smile before diving into rapid conversation with the civilian girl. Shaking his head, Sasuke took a sip of blessedly cold champagne when another claimed the vacant chair to his left.

"Sasuke-san, may I—"

"No," he replied before he could stop himself.

Two wide, innocent eyes widened, then crinkled in amusement. "Ah, Sasuke-san, a very funny joke," Lee chuckled as he sat beside him. The man wore—of all things—a chartreuse green kimono. At least the bowl-cut of his hair had been softened somewhat by the touch of what had to be the most talented hairdresser in all of Konoha.

"I don't think he was joking, Lee," Tenten muttered, coming to sit on Lee's other side.

"Tenten—" Lee whined, but she cut him off.

"Sasuke-kun, you're looking well," Tenten said. She flashed a dimpled smile.

He wasn't sure how to respond, so he just nodded. He sure as hell didn't _feel_ well. Tenten, on the other hand, looked relatively nice. A touch of makeup and a pale pink kimono that somehow managed to compliment Lee's tasteless green one. Not his type, but less of an eyesore to look at than Ino.

Sasuke caught the train of his thoughts and scowled down into his drink. Since when did he care what women looked like?

He spared a glance for Sakura, still deep in conversation with the civilian girl. All he could see was the back of her head, the blue and red roses twined in her hair. The Uchiha colors, he realized; she looked good in them. Then he scowled again and hid the rising color in his cheeks by taking a long drink. As he did so, he listened to what Sakura and Tamaki were discussing.

"So it was love at first sight," Sakura said, giggling behind her hand. She leaned back in her seat and glanced at Sasuke. Their eyes met for a brief moment, and she smiled before turning back to Tamaki. Any other girl giggling like that would just seem vapid to him, but when Sakura did it, her eyes glittered so the golden flecks showed in her irises.

"Pretty much," the other girl giggled back, twirling a wisp of hair around an index finger. "The only thing is, he doesn't like my cats too much." She pouted and rested her elbow on the table, cupping her chin in her hand.

Sakura laughed until she had to wipe a tear from her eye. Sasuke wished he could make her laugh like that…"Well, if you were exactly alike, it would be boring, no?"

The other girl sighed. "I guess so." She leaned forward conspiratorially. "What about you and your boyfriend? You two don't have any insurmountable problems as bad as that, do you? I mean, Kiba's whole life revolves around his dog, and he can't stand cats. I mean, he _really_ can't stand them!"

Sasuke stifled the urge to flee and schooled his face to remain expressionless. Every one of his muscles was as tense as whipcord. He sat very still, dread twisting his insides, bile rising at the back of his throat. He was inches away from activating his Mangekyou Sharingan and burning the place down with Amaterasu when at last, Sakura answered, her words ringing in his ears...

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 _Thanks for reading. Please review:) It feeds the muses._


	17. Chapter Seventeen: Proposals

Hi friends, welcome back to poor Sasuke being constantly befuddled by life at every turn:) Special thanks to my beta, **Fanofthisfiction** for finding evil typos and being an all-around awesome beta:)

Enjoy!

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Chapter Seventeen: Proposals

The civilian girl sighed. "I guess so." She leaned forward conspiratorially and whispered to Sakura. "What about you and your boyfriend? You two don't have any insurmountable problems as bad as that, do you? I mean, Kiba's whole life revolves around his dog, and he can't stand cats. I mean, he _really_ can't stand them!"

Sasuke stifled the urge to flee and schooled his face to remain expressionless. Every muscle tense as whipcord, he sat very still, dreading what Sakura might say. He was inches away from activating his Mangekyou Sharingan and burning the place down with Amaterasu when at last, Sakura answered, her words ringing in his ears.

"Ah, Sasuke-kun is…my good friend!" Sakura blurted out, her cheeks flushed with color.

Sasuke forced himself to take a deep, calming breath and schooled his expression to outward calm. The room seemed to go silent around him, but his heart beat loudly in his ears. He tried to make sense of his emotions. How could he feel disappointed and relieved at the same time? A bead of sweat slid down his forehead.

He was just a friend. Of course. He was just a friend! Why would he expect anything more? He certainly didn't want anything more. Then why had her answer stunned him so much?

The civilian girl pouted, clearly upset by Sakura's answer. "But I see you have a red rose in your hair—" she began.

However, at that moment a microphone screeched to life, cutting off the stupid civilian girl.

"Attention, attention! Can you hear me, dattebayo?" came Naruto's deafening roar. The microphone gave another ear-piercing screech. The crowd groaned.

"Turn down the—hic—microphone—hiccup!" Tsunade's roar drowned out the sound of the grumbling guests. Red-faced and gesturing towards Naruto menacingly with a cup of sake, the former Hokage almost fell over until Kakashi caught her.

Between the current, future, and previous Hokages, Sasuke thought Konoha was doomed. They were all idiots. Especially Naruto, who cleared his throat and scratched his head.

"Sorry about that everyone…" An abashed grin twitched on his face. "Anyway, I just wanted to thank you all for being here—" A roar of applause— "and I wanted to tell you the story of how Hinata and I finally got together in outer-space, dattebayo!"

Sasuke groaned. He had been subjected to this story, with different variations depending on the Moron's mood, for the past week.

"It's a classic tale of evil villains trying to destroy the world, a beautiful princess—" the Idiot gestured to Hinata, who blushed as red as the roses in her hair— "and a hero!" He pointed to himself and grinned.

"Oi! Don't leave Sai-kun out of it!" Ino bellowed.

"True," Sai replied in a normal tone that carried nonetheless. "Without me, our dickless hero would still be moping around lovesick on the moon." Riotous laughter broke out as Naruto sputtered into the microphone. Even Hinata, beet-red as she was, hid a giggle behind her hand.

Sakura chuckled and drew near to Sasuke. "If Naruto's the hero and Hinata's the princess, what does that make me?" She was so close; her breath tickled his ear.

"The knight in shining armor," Sasuke muttered, drawing back from her. Her nearness was making him feel dizzy.

Sakura held her sides and laughed so hard that she fell against Sasuke with a wheeze. He stiffened, unable to move. Finally, she recovered herself and leaned in to whisper in his ear again. "You know, just once, I'd like to be the princess. Not the bloody damsel in distress," she added hastily, "but the one who…" She trailed off.

 _Who what?_ Sasuke wondered, but Naruto had recovered, and his booming voice began retelling the story. "So then, there were these genjutsu bubble thingies from a giant snail, and I…" Sakura drew away from him with an unreadable expression and took a sip of her drink.

"Sasuke-niiiiiiii," came a whiny voice and a tug on his kimono.

Sasuke turned to face Hanabi, and she took a step back. He took a deep breath and wiped the scowl from his face. "Yes…?" he asked, as evenly as he could manage. What had Sakura meant by all that talk? He swore, the more time he spent with her, the more Sasuke realized he didn't understand her at all. He felt a pang at the thought but masked it carefully.

Hanabi bounced from one foot to the other. "Can I have a word with you outside?" She winked.

Sasuke spared one last look at Sakura, but she was laughing at what Naruto was saying: "…And then, Hinata gave me this amazing scarf! It took her days and days to make, and…"

If he had to listen one more time about Naruto's bloody scarf, he was going to kill someone. Probably Naruto. Which wouldn't do on his wedding day.

Sasuke eyed the prepubescent Hyuga. "Fine," Sasuke muttered, sliding out of his seat. Anything was better than this, even talking to Hinata's annoying kid sister.

Sakura turned around at the movement, but when she saw was he was following Hanabi, she smiled at him.

"I'll be back," he grumbled. Sakura waved, then turned back to Naruto, a grin splitting her face. She looked so happy. Would she even miss him? He frowned at his foolish thoughts, then turned to follow Hanabi who skipped ahead of him.

When they exited the tent, Sasuke let out a breath he hadn't realized he had been holding, the weight of all those stares finally lifting.

"You don't like crowds much, do you?" Hanabi asked, her small hand reaching out to tug on his sleeve.

"I don't like people much." He tried to shrug her off, but the girl was insistent. Laughing—perhaps she thought he had made a joke—she yanked him after her into the Hyuga formal gardens. If he hadn't been in such a bad mood, he might have enjoyed all the flowers glistening with dew in the bright sunshine. High overhead, a bird trilled, and a breeze blew a handful of pink cherry blossom petals past his face. But all that beauty made him feel sad, for some reason.

"Here," Hanabi said, stopping in front of a marble bench. She sat and yanked him down beside her before finally relinquishing her hold on his sleeve. Above, peach blossoms bobbed on the wind, their pale petals winking with dew in the sunlight. "Are you ready to hear my proposition now?"

Sasuke blinked down at her. How old was this kid? Fourteen? She only came to his shoulder, yet she looked up at him with those oversized sunglasses like she owned him.

When he didn't respond, Hanabi cleared her throat and continued. "As you know, I come from an illustrious clan. And my Jutsu is even better than my sister's—my Byakugan is as good as any adult's."

"Why tell me this?" Sasuke was beginning to think that maybe he should have stayed inside the tent.

"I think you should marry me."

"What the—" he tried to rise, but she latched onto his arm and forced him to sit back down.

"You're the last of the Uchiha clan, and I'm the strongest of the Hyuga. It should be obvious."

This could not be happening. He squeezed his eyes shut and forced himself to remain civil. "Hanabi. Look. I don't—"

"I'm twice as pretty as my Neechan, a hundred times better at ninjutsu, and I'm pretty sure that once Neechan starts having babies, my father will realize I would make a better head of the Hyuga than Hinata. Oh, and did I mention I have a great personality?"

Sasuke opened his lips, but no words came out. He worked moisture back into his mouth and tried again. "The answer is no."

She dug her claws into his captive arm. "Come on, what does she have that I don't?"

"Who, Hinata?" he asked, incredulous.

Hanabi _tsked._ "Not her—Sakura! She doesn't even come from a respectable clan! And that hair…"

"There's nothing wrong with her clan, or her hair," Sasuke snapped, appalled at the words coming out of his mouth. Was he defending her _hair?_ He shook his head and tried again. "I'm not dating Sakura. We're friends, okay?"

"So then—"

"And you're too young!" Sasuke got over his shock at last and twisted out of Hanabi's grasp.

"We could be betrothed, though," she countered hotly, leaping to her feet. "You could learn to at least like me."

He mopped his face with his hand. "No. Sorry. The answer is still no." He turned to leave, but her next words made him stop in his tracks.

"Could you at least help me with my eyes? They really…hurt."

Confused, he turned to look at Hanabi just as she lowered her sunglasses. Her eyes were raw and red around the edges—sure signs of a recent transplant—and her _Byakugan_ —

"I thought you might know what to do, since you…" she trailed off miserably, squinting up at him.

"Put those glasses back on," he snapped, more alarmed than angry. Kami, he knew Hanabi had lost her eyes to Toneri, then regained them upon his defeat, but seeing the result was another matter entirely. And those eyes were no longer regular Byakugan. "Come on," he added more gently as Hanabi sniffled—she was only a kid—"let's find a shady spot. You shouldn't expose your eyes to the sun like that while they're healing."

Hanabi hiccuped. "Kay," she said, subdued.

In the far corner of the garden, down a grassy slope by a gurgling creek, they found a gazebo with a latticework roof. Belatedly, Sasuke hoped no one had noticed his meeting with the child. He didn't have the cleanest reputation, and while he certainly wouldn't hurt the girl, people did talk. Resisting the urge to cast a surreptitious look over his shoulder, he sat down on a bench built into the side of the structure and motioned for Hanabi to sit next to him.

"Papa says I shouldn't show my eyes to anyone, not yet at least," she explained, perching on the edge of the bench. She reminded him of a nervous bird about to take flight. "But I don't think the Hyuga really know what they're talking about. We don't usually get upgrades by transplanting eyeballs—not like the Sharingan."

Sasuke grimaced but did not respond. That was a grim and almost flippant way of putting it. He gestured sharply with his head, and she lowered the glasses again, revealing those strange eyes.

It wasn't the tender flesh swelling with inflammation that made him clench his teeth, though it did look painful. It was the way her Byakugan was shining a pale cerulean blue, the way it pulsed with an inner light like a phosphorescent crystal. "I'm going to activate my doujutsu," he said, not wanting to frighten the girl. The Sharingan was not usually something you wanted to stare into if you valued your life, not to mention your sanity. "Are you ready?"

Hanabi gulped. "What are you going to do?"

Sasuke tried to smile. "I'm going to take a closer look."

Hanabi set her jaw, then squared her shoulders and stared at him straight in the eye. She nodded.

Sasuke's Sharingan whirled to life in his right eye and with it active, he was even more impressed: Hanabi's eyes pulsed with a delicate network of energy, flooding the injured area with chakra. He was no medical nin, but he understood how the ocular system operated, not to mention what an eye transplant should look like.

"There's a lot of inflammation," he said, his Sharingan fading to black. What he didn't tell her was that her eyes were activating new networks. She would be powerful if her newly returned eyes took hold properly. He would make sure they would. "We should get Sakura."

Hanabi twisted the hem of her kimono. "Do you think it's bad?"

His expression remained bland. "It would be better to ask Sakura. But no," he added hastily at her panicked look. "You'll be fine."

Her mouth twisted to the side as she studied him. For a moment, he thought she would call his bluff. Then she nodded, if a bit sullenly. "Okay," she said. "Papa trusts Sakura-chan. If it weren't for her, I'd still be blind on the moon with that creepy psycho."

Sasuke hid a wince as he rose, leading Hanabi back through the garden. He didn't like the word "psycho," and not only because it was Sai's stupid nickname for Sasuke. And Sasuke didn't mention that without him, Hanabi's father would have bled to death in the forest a mile away from Konoha; Sasuke had been the one to return Hiashi on his way to Konoha to deflect meteors.

 _Let Naruto and Sakura take all the credit,_ Sasuke thought. _I don't need any thanks._

"You know," Hanabi said, studying him with a sidelong look, "you're not as bad as you seem. If it doesn't work out with Sakura-nee, and you don't mind waiting a few years…" She shot him a hopeful look.

"Find someone your own age," he managed between partially clenched teeth. "You'd be happier that way."

She sniffed. "Happiness has nothing to do with it. You still don't get it, do you?" She paused to face him. "Neechan just married the future Hokage. That means she can't head the clan—it'd be a conflict of interests. The other clan heads won't have it. That means leadership falls to me." Her bottom lip trembled. "You said you wanted to be Hokage, didn't you? But it's clearly not a position that would suit you. You could have just as much power—maybe more—if you headed the Hyuga clan with me."

He blinked down at the girl. "Hanabi," he replied at last, choosing his words with care, "I know that must have been frightening, being kidnapped." Her bottom lip trembled again, and he knew he had hit the mark. "But that doesn't mean you need to find a husband or worry about heading the clan. That will take care of itself."

"Well what should I do?" she demanded, stomping her foot. He smiled. One minute, she was a fierce, pragmatic leader, and the next, she was a petulant child.

He smiled. One minute, she was a fierce, pragmatic leader, and the next, she was a petulant child. "Get stronger. So the next bastard who tries to hurt you gets what's coming to him." He gave her shoulder an awkward pat.

Just then, a large figure blocked the path in front of them, standing at the top of the slope, his form a shadowy silhouette against the bright sun.

"Well look what we have here," came the booming voice. Sasuke turned slowly, his jaw tightening until his teeth ached.

"Raikage," Hanabi said, frowning. Her lack of honorific wasn't lost on the hulking man, a craggy frown splitting his rock-hewn face. The Hyuga had never been on the best of terms with Lightning Country; Sasuke imagined the clan had never entirely forgiven the kidnapping attempt on Hinata's life when she had been young, the result being the sacrifice of her uncle, Neji's father.

The Raikage glanced between Hanabi and Sasuke and _harrumphed._ He must have seen something in Sasuke's expression because he said, "You have anything to say, Uchiha?"

Sasuke stared at the Raikage without blinking. The hulking man wore a white kimono with gold hems, a lightning bolt bisecting the breast. One of his sleeves dangled uselessly on a gentle breeze.

"Looks like we're even," Sasuke said coolly, eyeing the Raikage's flapping sleeve.

There was a tense moment of silence. Then the Raikage barked a laugh that sent a cote of doves fluttering away from a nearby tree. "You know," he said, an unkind smile twisting his lips, "I'd deck you right now if this wasn't Naruto's wedding."

Sasuke was about to retort something along the lines of _I'd like to see you try,_ when Hanabi stalked forward, hands on hips. It was like watching a tiny sparrow confronting an enraged elephant.

"There will be no fighting in my garden," the girl ordered with a fierce glare. But the Raikage only guffawed and waved his cup of sake apologetically.

Another figure crested the hill, a woman with long red hair tied up in a herringbone twist, her blue kimono shimmering like sea water in the bright sunlight. The Mizukage.

"You're looking handsome as ever, Uchiha-san," she offered with a wink. "And Hyuga-sama, you're looking as adorable as ever." Hanabi flushed and gave a little bow. "And _you_ , Raikage." The Mizukage wrinkled her nose, which made her look even more fetching. "You're drunker than that lush, Tsunade—aren't you? You're not causing any trouble, Rai-ka-ge-chan?" she asked, her tone syrupy sweet.

Sasuke's eyes darted to the sides. Was there any way to escape these people? Seeing the Raikage and the Mizukage together like this brought back bad memories of the Kage Summit.

"Me?" the Raikage asked, a tight smile stretching his lips. "Causing trouble? I wouldn't—"

"He was!" Hanabi interjected, stamping a slippered foot.

"Hey, squirt—" the Raikage muttered, but Hanabi cut him off.

"My name," she seethed, "is Hyuga Hanabi. And you may refer to me as Hyuga-sama."

Hanabi, one, Raikage, zero, Sasuke thought, his discomfort momentarily softened by amusement. The Raikage rolled his eyes, but when the Mizukage sidled up to him, smiling her menacing smile, he gulped. "Oh, come on—" he began, but the Mizukage lifted one high-heel and neatly stomped on his sandaled foot. His screech sent another flock of birds rushing away through the air.

"Rai—hiccup!—kage! Is that—hic!—you?" came Tsunade's gruff voice as she came over the path, supported on either side by Sakura and Shizune.

"Oh drat," the Raikage muttered, holding his abused foot in his hand. "It's _her."_

"It's me," Tsunade slurred, grinning toothily. "And you owe me money. We made a bet and you lost, pal."

"I did _not_ cry at the wedding!" he protested. "I swear!"

"Did too," the Mizukage said.

"Bah!"

"I have five eyewitnesses and video footage from the ANBU," Tsunade shot back. "You sobbed like a big baby."

The Raikage pointed a meaty finger at her. "If you can out-drink me, Tsunade, I'll pay you."

"Out drink you?!" She snorted. "I'll destroy you! And then you'll owe me double what you did before. Do we have a deal?"

Shizune, on Tsunade's right, paled. "Tsunade-sama—"

"Deal!" the Raikage bellowed, clasping hands with the former Hokage who wobbled on her high heels.

Sakura shook her head and dislodged herself from Tsunade, coming to stand by Sasuke. "Come on," she said, taking Sasuke's arm with one hand and Hanabi's in the other, "let's get out of here. It's about to get ugly." Sasuke was more than happy to oblige her.

"I wasn't done with you, Uchiha!" the Raikage called at their departing backs.

"Bring on the sake!" Tsunade roared, drowning out his voice. Sasuke glanced over his shoulder in time to see the former Hokage drag the Raikage by the crook of her arm, flask held high in her free hand.

"Looks like you two were caught up in the crossfire," Sakura said. "The Raikage is bad enough when he's sober."

Hanabi sniffed. "I will have words with Naruto for inviting such a baboon to my estate."

Sakura yelped a laugh, and even Sasuke had to smile a little. "Sakura," he said, tone turning serious. He led the group off the garden path to stand behind an overgrown camellia bush bursting with pink blossoms. "Did you perform Hanabi's eye transplant?"

She started. "Yes. Why?"

"Just take a look."

"But— _now?"_

Sasuke activated his Sharingan and the air wavered around them like a heat mirage. "No one's watching."

She shot him an inscrutable look, then bent her head over Hanabi, smoothing the girl's hair. She whispered something in Hanabi's ear, and the girl nodded, brushing her sunglasses aside and blinking owlishly at the pair of them. Biting her lip, Sakura pressed her palms against Hanabi's eyes, the blue glow of chakra illuminating Hanabi's face, giving the girl's pale skin an even more pallid cast.

Anxious, Sasuke turned his attention to the camellia bush. He plucked a blossom and absently twirled the stem in his fingers. As he recalled, camellia flowers symbolized someone who was adorable. Not that he was an expert, but the camellia blossom display had stood next to the roses, offered at a much cheaper price, at the flower shop. And he had a photographic memory, even for sentimental drivel, apparently.

"Do your eyes hurt, Hanabi-chan?" Sakura asked. The girl nodded. Sakura continued to ask a series of questions, then removed her hands from the girl's head.

"Come see me first thing tomorrow, okay Hanabi-chan?"

Hanabi replaced her sunglasses with a solemn nod. "I'll be all right though— won't I, neechan?"

Sakura flashed a bright, tight smile; only Sasuke could tell it was forced. "Of course you will, darling. I just want to keep an eye on you. An eye on your eyes," she said with a tense laugh. "And I have some herbs to ease the pain."

Hanabi chewed her lip and nodded. "You're so lucky, Sakura-nee."

Sakura gave a bemused smile as she straightened. "Oh. And why is that?" Sakura began to walk back to the garden path, Sasuke falling into step beside her.

"Because you're strong. You don't need anyone to rescue you. You're the one doing the rescuing…"

Sakura paused mid-step to look at the girl. "Hanabi-chan?"

"Also, your boyfriend is nice." Hanabi shot Sasuke a mischievous grin.

"I'm not her boyfriend," Sasuke muttered.

"And he's not really that nice, once you get to know him," Sakura said airily, her light tone in contrast to her rigid shoulders and tight jaw.

Hanabi shook her head and swept past them, head held as high as any aristocrat. "Keep telling yourself that," she said as she snatched the camellia out of Sasuke's hand and sprinted away.

"What a little pest," Sasuke said.

Sakura leveled him a sidelong look. "You were worried about her."

"No, I wasn't."

"You were." She took his arm in hers, leading him back to the reception. "I am too. Sasuke, new pathways are emerging that weren't there before. I've never seen anything like it."

"I'll ask Orochimaru. If anyone has a scroll on this, it'll be him."

"You would do that for Hinata's little sister?" Sakura arched an eyebrow.

He snorted. "I'm seeing Orochimaru soon anyway. I'm not going out of my way for her."

She jabbed him in the ribs with an accusatory finger. "Sasuke, you _are_ nice."

"Hardly. It's just… She reminds me of myself, a little." He shrugged. "And she will be an asset to the village when those eyes of hers have matured. That's all."

"She reminds you of yourself?" Sakura sounded skeptical. Now Sasuke felt uncomfortable. When he didn't answer, she said, "Sorry. It's only… you don't usually like people. You even gave her a camellia blossom. I do think I'm jealous."

"You can't be serious," Sasuke retorted. "Besides, she stole that flower from me—I didn't _give_ it to her."

Sakura ignored his disbelieving stare. "Well, you did the right thing. I'll watch her like I said…" she chewed the inside of her cheek and fell silent, likely thinking of medical nin things. And Sasuke kept the fact Hanabi had proposed to him to himself.

Not that Sakura would seriously be jealous of a fourteen-year-old girl… right?

* * *

 _Thank you for reading. Please review:)_


	18. Chapter Eighteen: Feelings Do Not Lie

Kya! I just won NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) and now I have time for other things! Like sleeping. And cleaning my house. And posting fanfic! For those of you who don't know, NaNoWriMo is where you foolishly commit to writing 50,000 words in one month. And I did it! Yay! *Cues the Cyber Confetti*

Please enjoy the next chappy. I made it a long one just because all your PM's and reviews this month were so lovely:)

* * *

 _Chapter Eighteen: Feelings Do Not Lie_

Sakura walked down the garden path, her hand resting on Sasuke's arm. She studied his face sidelong, trying to gauge what he was thinking, but of course it was impossible. He was as stony-faced as ever.

She was glad to have found Sasuke but most of all, she was surprised at his concern over Hanabi-chan. Sasuke really was a kind man, underneath his mask of indifference. Sakura only wished he could show that kind of concern for her. She sighed, and if Sasuke noticed her grip tightening on his arm, he showed no sign of it.

Too soon, the garden path ended, and they arrived back at the canvas tent. Sasuke paused in the doorway, his jaw set, his lips pressed into a thin line.

Sakura pulled him aside. "Sasuke-kun?"

"Hm?" he answered. Sakura could see he was trying not to tense.

She bit her lip. She wished her time with Sasuke-kun would never end, but she could see he wasn't happy. "Why don't you take a break?" she asked, keeping her voice studiously even.

He shook his head. "I should stay."

Sakura snorted. "Sasuke, you're miserable with crowds. Why don't you leave? I'll pick you up at five for the dinner party. You'll like that more. It'll be just a small group."

He blinked at her. "What about you?"

"I _like_ crowds."

"You're not trying to get rid of me, are you?" Sasuke asked, a bit too quickly.

Sakura's eyebrows rose in disbelief. Get _rid_ of him? Gods, how could he even suggest such a thing! "Don't be silly!" she chided. She squeezed his hand in what she hoped was a reassuring way and made her tone more gentle. "It's just I saw your expression, that's all."

Sasuke stood frozen in the doorway, his face a perfect mask of calm. Except Sakura could see a muscle twitching in his jaw. She worried her lip with her teeth. Kami, she had been trying to make things easier for Sasuke, but she had only upset him further. She never knew the right thing to say to the man. Even when she was trying to be considerate of his feelings, she came on too strong or said the wrong thing. She was about to say more, but she noticed too late that Naruto was approaching, and she snapped her mouth shut.

Sakura bit back a yelp as Naruto pulled her into a fierce hug. "Sakura-chan!" he cried, squeezing the air out of her. He released her to sling an arm across Sasuke's shoulders, making the man grunt. "Sasuke-teme, don't scowl at me like that! You guys hungry? It's almost time to eat."

"It's not ramen, is it?" Sasuke asked, looking so dour Sakura had to stifle a giggle.

"Sorry to disappoint," Naruto answered with a sigh, clearly not catching Sasuke's sarcasm. "It's traditional food." Now it was Naruto's turn to look crestfallen, and Sakura really did laugh this time, stepping forward to kiss Naruto on the cheek. How was Hinata, heir to the Hyuga and born to better taste, going to put up with her new husband?

But Sakura kept her thoughts to herself and allowed Naruto to lead her and Sasuke towards their table, full of their friends—and Ino-pig, who at the moment was scowling in Sakura's direction.

"Hey, dickless," Sai called to Naruto, waving a sallow hand. "How come you mentioned Sakura in your vows and not me? I was—"

"Shut up, Sai," Shikamaru interjected, squeezing his eyes shut. "You weren't any help at all."

"Oi, Shikamaru!" Ino cried, rising from her seat. "Don't talk to my date like that!" Then Ino's eyes met Sakura's, and Ino _harrumphed_ , looking away pointedly. It was all Sakura could do not to growl. She shook her head, taking her seat next to Kiba's girlfriend.

As Ino and Shikamaru dissolved into an argument and Naruto stepped in to mediate, Sasuke cast surreptitious glances between Sakura and Ino. He heaved a sigh and trained his gaze on the tablecloth, jaw set, face as expressionless as the empty plate in front of him.

Well, Sasuke couldn't blame her for getting tangled up in the party again. Sakura felt her mood sour even more. She had given him an out, and his response had stung her. He truly thought she was trying to get rid of him? Did he not understand her feelings at all? She almost threw up her hands in disgust as she studied his face with that soldier-in-enemy-territory look.

Sasuke met her gaze. "What?"

"Nothing," she replied, wanting to look away but not quite able to. His eyes had a burning intensity to them that drew her in like a moth to lantern light. Kami, why did he have to have such beautiful eyes?

"What's going on between you and Ino?" he asked, leaning forward to whisper in her ear. She shivered as his breath tickled her neck.

"Nothing," she snapped unfolding her napkin and smoothing it on her lap. When his expression didn't alter and his eyes remained fixed on her, she added primly, "It has nothing to do with you."

"Oh?" He quirked an eyebrow. "Then why is she shooting me a death glare?"

Sakura's head jerked up. It was true—if Ino had possessed a Sharingan, Sasuke would have burst into flames. With a grimace, Sakura adjusted the vase of flowers to block Sasuke's view of Ino. Unfortunately, the move left Sakura's own view more open to her nemesis, and Ino's death glare was transferred to her.

 _Honestly,_ came Ino's shrill voice inside Sakura's head. _You just don't want to hear the truth!_

Sakura's eyes widened. _Are you using_ _ **telepathy?**_ _Ino, I'm sitting right across the table from you! And we're at a_ _ **wedding!**_

The blonde ignored her and mentally hissed, _He_ _ **loves**_ _you. He does! Sakura—_

Sakura pushed Ino firmly out of her head, and now it was her turn to stare daggers at her so-called best friend.

"…Sakura?" Sasuke asked in a rising tone, nudging her.

She turned her glare to him, and he leaned away from her. "What?" She snapped.

His lips curved in a wry twist, and he shook his head. Without saying another word, he poured her a glass of wine and pushed it towards her.

She gave him a suspicious stare. Sharingan users couldn't overhear telepathic conversations, could they? Not that it mattered. Sasuke already knew how she felt about him. And she knew what he felt for her, Kami, but she did. She shoved away her feelings of hopelessness and forced her shoulders to relax. She took a deep breath and then, with what she hoped was a grateful nod for Sasuke-kun, brought the glass to her lips and drank deeply.

Sakura hoped the alcohol would dull her feelings, but by the time the glass was nearly empty, she was still fuming at Ino. Her friend's words were like a kunai to her heart. How could Ino even suggest that Sasuke loved Sakura as anything more than a friend? It was cruel to get Sakura's hopes up, especially when she knew it could never be true.

Sasuke loved her, but not like she loved him. She was like a sister to him—he had said so himself. She knew how much it had cost him to say even that much. Sakura rested her head in her hands and massaged her temples. She would have to be satisfied with how Sasuke felt for her. At least he cared for her, even if it was just as a friend. That's what she told herself as she tipped back her glass and drained the last of her wine in one swig, her heart aching.

 _Then why the red rose?_ whispered a voice in her head, only this time it was not Ino's telepathic accusations. It was Sakura's own stubborn hope.

She placed her empty glass down and squeezed her eyes shut. _Just for today,_ _I'm not going to worry about the past or the future. I'm going to enjoy the wedding celebrations, and I'm not going to ruin the precious time I have with Sasuke-kun before he leaves._

She felt her resolve strengthen. She was going to pretend it was the last day of the world, and she would spend it with Sasuke-kun. It would have to be enough.

She inhaled deeply and opened her eyes, a smile creasing her lips as she listened in on Naruto's argument with Sai and Shikamaru.

"All right, all right, you _both_ helped a ton and I totally owe _both_ of you—" Naruto began, but he was cut off by Temari.

"Except that Shikamaru was the brains behind your mission," the Sand kunoichi said, idly twirling a steak knife in one hand. "And Sai was just the brawn."

"Don't be such a dumb blonde," Ino snapped, eliciting a groan from Shikamaru.

Choji sat down, an overloaded plate of appetizers in his hands. "Ino," he said around a mouthful of food, "I wouldn't…"

"Excuse me?" Temari spat, rising from her chair to sneer at Ino. "If anyone is a _dumb_ blonde at this table, I'm looking at her."

Sakura rose, tapping her wine glass with a spoon. "Let's make a toast!" she called. It was time to intervene before Ino's foul temper made this into a diplomatic incident.

Without having to ask, Sasuke poured wine into Sakura's glass, elegantly enough to please any priest or shrine maiden. She raised her glass high and smiled at him. His expression didn't change, but she thought she saw a light dancing in his dark irises, though the sudden flash was gone as quickly as it had come.

Dammit all, she thought, looking away from Sasuke and keeping a smile plastered on her face. She loved him. She couldn't help herself. He was infuriating, socially awkward, stubborn, and completely impossible—and he was the only man she would ever love.

Her voice shook as she said, into a room now hushed in anticipation, "To Naruto and Hinata! I'm so happy for you both that I could burst!" To her surprise, a tear trailed down her cheek. She didn't bother wiping it away.

"Cheers!" rang out the chorus, not just from her table, but from all around the pavilion. Sakura's cheeks flushed. She tipped back her wine and drained it. When she lowered her glass, she saw Hinata gliding towards her, smiling brightly. She was as radiant as the full moon on a clear night.

Hinata took a glass of champagne from a server and raised it, and when she spoke, her voice was clear and rang out like the peal of a bell. "To all our friends!" she said, flushing with happiness. "Thank you all for coming to celebrate with us today."

"Cheers!" The echoing cry boomed like thunder.

Sasuke poured Sakura another glass, then refilled his own. "Cheers," he said, clinking glasses with hers. Their eyes met.

There was so much she wanted to tell him, but she didn't have the words. "Cheers," she murmured, her heart full of grief as she hid her face in her wine.

#

The rest of the afternoon went by in a haze. Sasuke mostly stared down at the table or concentrated on his food, or his wine, which he drank more of than he should have. The alcohol helped blur the painful sensation of being caught in the chaos of the party.

Still, he wasn't as miserable as he had anticipated. Sakura chatted with him in between conversations with her other friends, enough to make him feel like he belonged at the table. On the other hand, he hardly saw Naruto who was too busy flitting from guest to guest, his arm around Hinata's waist, both of their faces shining with joy.

By the time Sasuke had consumed too many glasses of wine to count, the guests began ebbing away, a trickle at first, then a steady flow. Sakura must have seen him eyeing the exit longingly because she looped her arm through his and said in a low whisper, "We can leave whenever you want."

He shook his head. "You're still having fun."

"I'm tired, actually," she said, and she looked it too. She rubbed her eyes. "I could use a nap before we reconvene for dinner."

"I'll walk you home."

"I'll walk _you_ home," she said, smiling, though it was grim. "I saw my mother leave a little while ago, and she was good and drunk."

"Ah," Sasuke replied tactfully and left it at that.

He let Sakura say his goodbyes for him to what was left of their table. It was down to Ino, Sai, Shikamaru, and Temari, the two blondes now pouring each other sake and laughing uproariously, much to the chagrin of Shikamaru who sat between them.

Glad to be leaving at last, Sasuke scanned the room but didn't see Naruto or Hinata anywhere. It took a full five minutes of searching before they found the couple outside in the garden, posing dreamy-eyed for the photographer by a red camellia bush.

When Naruto saw them approaching he rushed out to meet them, Hinata trailing after him, her hair now festooned with red camellia blossoms. And after Hinata came Hanabi, skipping along in her sister's wake, the pink camellia she had stolen from Sasuke tucked behind her ear. When she met Sasuke's eyes, she scowled at him. She scowled—at him!

What had he ever done to her?

As if in echo to his thoughts, Sakura asked, "Why is Hanabi mad at you?"

An old saying popped into Sasuke's mind: _Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned._ He wondered if it was because he had turned down Hanabi's preposterous marriage proposal…

Sasuke found Sakura giving him a curious stare, and he realized he had not answered her. He kept his face studiously free of expression and shrugged.

"Taciturn as ever," she muttered, her mouth tightening into a smile as Naruto approach them.

While Sakura bent her head low to whisper in Naruto's ear, Hinata shooed away her sister and swept towards him. Her black hair was lacquered back in a simple chignon, crowned with red blossoms that brought out the color of her full lips. Eyes as pale as moons met his, with long painted lashes that stood out from her pale, powdered face. How Naruto had stolen the affections of this woman, he would never understand.

"Sasuke-kun, I apologize for my sister," she said, her voice so soft and full of natural sweetness, his waspish reply died on his lips.

"Apologize for what?" he asked carefully.

Hinata's lips writhed in a smile she tried to suppress, and her eyes shone. She gestured, and he followed her to a nearby rose bush, its thorny stalks bare but swelling with the hint of new leaves.

"I told Hanabi-chan that you were t-taken," she said, her expression growing serious. When she stuttered, she grimaced, which somehow only made her delicate features more lovely. "But she's headstrong, and convinced she'll have to head the clan now that I'm married. And I th-think—" she grinned a little "—Hanabi-chan has a little crush on you."

Sasuke just stood there, dumb, mouth slightly parted. When he didn't say anything, she stepped closer. "But I told her," Hinata continued, laying a hand on his arm, "it doesn't take a Byakugan to see how in love you are with Sakura." She went on to say something else, but Sasuke couldn't hear her over the rush of blood in his ears. Hinata was mid-sentence when Sasuke stepped away, leaving Hinata's hand that had rested on his arm hovering in midair.

"Sasuke-kun?" she asked, voice rising, eyes questioning.

Sasuke glanced around. Had anyone overheard Hinata? Saying how obvious it was that he was in _love?_ With _Sakura?_ And how would Hinata know, of all people?

Hinata came towards him, her eyebrows creased in concern. "Is something wrong?"

He had never spoken to Hinata one-on-one like this, and the two had never been close. So how could she know? What's more, how could she just say it out in the open? Words he did not even let himself consider, let alone say aloud. "I'm no good for her," he blurted out, cheeks heating. "I don't deserve her."

Her eyes tilted, regarding him without blinking, a birdlike stare. "I used to tell myself I wasn't good enough," she began slowly, her voice soft and sad. "I never thought I would be where I am today. Strong. Confident. Living my dreams," she said, a wistful smile spreading across her face. "We all have our stories we tell ourselves, Sasuke-kun. But our feelings do not lie."

She looked like she wanted to say more, but Naruto and Sakura came rounding the garden path, Hanabi in tow.

Hanabi skipped forward and jabbed Sasuke in the ribs. "You look like someone just hit you over the head with a frying pan," she said, peering up at him through those oversized sunglasses.

Sasuke blinked down at the girl. He supposed that being whacked over the head would have been less of a shock. Ninja training took over, and he blocked another one of Hanabi's jabs to his side. Kami, the little twerp was strong, and that first poke had hurt. Not that he'd ever let her know.

"Hanabi-chan," Hinata chided, taking her sister's hands in hers. "Leave him alone."

"Eh, Teme, you okay?"Naruto asked, and it was his turn to try to poke Sasuke in the ribs, though Sasuke twisted out of the way.

"Mmm," was all Sasuke said, masking his annoyance and shoving his surprise aside. Sakura fell into step beside him and threaded her arm through his, her casual touch burning his skin. He stiffened. Sakura eyed him askance, but if she thought his reaction strange, she didn't say so. Instead, she turned to Naruto and Hinata, saying her goodbyes and ruffling Hanabi's hair fondly, reminding the child to visit the clinic in the morning.

They were silent the whole walk through the Hyuga compound and out of the gates. Sasuke looked anywhere but at Sakura as they walked. He studied the paper lanterns bobbing in the breeze, the brightly colored booths echoing with children's laughter as they played festival games, and stalls peddling fried food scenting the air with burnt sugar and grease. It was only when they passed out of the village center and onto the quieter side streets that Sakura finally broke the silence.

"What did Hinata say to you?" she asked, her tone light. "You seemed… I don't know. Stunned, for you."

"For me?" Sasuke asked, arching an eyebrow.

There was a moment's pause. "Well," she replied, "you were staring at Hinata with this wide-eyed kind of stare. That's like a regular person reeling in shock. Oh, don't give me that look, Sasuke-kun! I know you pretty well, don't I? Some people might think you show as much expression as a rock, but you do show _some_ emotion. Sometimes…" When he didn't respond and did his best to mask his features, she rolled her eyes. "Never mind." She shot him a wicked smile. "I'll just ask Hinata later."

"You wouldn't," he blurted out, then realized his mistake. Damn. She had been goading him! But he would never, ever tell Sakura that Hinata had thought it was obvious that he _loved_ her. Just…never.

Sakura tapped her lips and tightened her grip on his arm. "Naruto mentioned something about Hanabi asking you an embarrassing question…"

Praise Kami. A way out. He could choose the lesser of two evils. "Oh fine," he said, affecting an annoyed tone. "Hanabi proposed to me."

"She _proposed?_ To _you?_ " Sakura barked a laugh, then cut off abruptly at his withering glare. She bit her lip. "You said no—didn't you?"

Her uncertain tone made his temper flare. "Tch. You have to ask?!"

As if she didn't quite hear him, she said, "I suppose you'd have a lot to gain, politically. It wouldn't be a bad move…" Her carefully neutral tone couldn't hide the wounded look in her green eyes. Her free hand touched the flowers pinned in her hair then fluttered away quickly as if she just realized what she had been doing.

"Sakura," he said, unable to hide his exasperation, "I said _no._ She's a child. And I'm _not_ interested." Kami, now he sounded like a sulky child himself.

Sakura's lips pressed into a thin line. Then she laughed, though Sasuke thought it sounded forced. He tried to search her eyes, but she turned her face away from him. "Well, no need to shout at _me_ ," she retorted, voice strained. Then she sneezed and groaned.

He unhooked his arm from hers and felt her forehead. "Sakura, you're feverish."

"Maybe I'm just furious at you," she replied, though her tone was flat. She turned her head and sneezed again, then withdrew a handkerchief from her kimono and blew her nose.

"I think you're actually sick," Sasuke replied, brows creasing in worry. Hadn't Sakura been sneezing earlier this morning? How could he not have noticed?

"I'm the one who's a medical nin," she groused, but she sneezed again and blushed.

Sasuke looped his arm around the small of her back. "Let me make you some tea. We're almost to my house." When she didn't respond right away, he added, "Or I can walk you home so you can rest."

She reached up to massage her forehead, her eyes squeezed shut. "I guess the damn cough medicine wore off. It's okay, Sasuke-kun," she said, resuming her pace. "I'd like to walk you home. Then I'll— _achoo!_ —head back to my place and lay down before wedding part two."

"Wedding part three, you mean," Sasuke muttered, and to his surprise, Sakura giggled.

"Well, you might not be the only one who's tired of the festivities," she said at his startled look. "Only…" She trailed off, blushing.

"Only what?" he prodded, not sure he really wanted to know.

She took his arm again but didn't answer.

The last vestiges of town petered out as they neared the Uchiha district. A fine dusting of snow covered the tangled brambles by the roadside, and through their skeletal vines, daffodils raised their buttery heads to nod in the wind. Sparrows chirped and peeped out from the shelter of thorny branches, watching the passersby.

As the road changed from paved to hard-packed earth and Sasuke's house appeared in the distance, Sakura finally spoke.

"Well," she said, laying her hand atop his, "if it weren't for Naruto's wedding, I doubt you would have stayed so long in Konoha. And though I'm ready for life to go back to normal, or as normal as it ever gets around here, I wish I had more time with you. That's all." She forced a laugh. "Go ahead. Tell me I'm being silly."

He opened his mouth to respond, but he couldn't find the words. He licked his lips. If he still possessed a second arm, he would have taken her hand in both of his. It wasn't until they stood in front of his house when he found his voice.

"Let me make you some tea," he said, stifling the sudden urge to draw her close.

She released his hand and rubbed her temples, her face pinched. "I just need to lie down…" She swayed a bit on her high heels.

He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and led her up the path. "You can sleep here. I'll take care of you." Heat rose in his cheeks at the words, and he turned his face away from Sakura so she wouldn't see.

"Are you sure?" she asked, muffling a sneeze in the crook of her arm. She groaned again.

"Of course." He wasn't going to make her walk all the way home if she wasn't feeling well. Logically, it made sense for her to rest here. It was more convenient. Still, as he led her up the stairs to his bedroom, his heart beat a little faster.

"Do you need anything?" he asked. Sakura paused inside the doorway, worrying her lower lip. "What's wrong?"

She shook her head. "Nothing," she answered, turning to him with a smile. "I'm sure I'll be fine with a little rest. No need to look so worried."

He wanted to argue that he wasn't worried, but instead he just nodded and backed away, closing the door behind him before stalking off to his bathroom. A cursory look through the medicine cabinet revealed an ancient bottle of cough syrup covered in dust, with an expiration date that had passed years ago.

He slipped silently down the hall and made his way downstairs, retrieving his coat. No store would be open on this national holiday known as Naruto's wedding, but Sasuke could break in and leave money on the counter. He exited his house without a sound and returned soon after, paper bag in hand. He hadn't been able to decide between all the options—extra-strength, daytime, nighttime, and 24-hour relief—so he had bought one bottle of each.

He crept back up the stairs again and silently opened the door to his bedroom. On his bed, Sakura lay perfectly flat on her back, head carefully propped up on the pillows so as not to disturb her hair. The two roses lay on the tatami mat beside her head. His gaze slid from the flowers to her face. All the tension was gone from her expression, and a soft smile played on her lips. Her chest rose and fell in a steady rhythm as she snored softly.

He arranged the bottles of cough syrup by the roses, and for a moment he was struck by the absurdity of the tableau. Perhaps he hadn't needed to buy all four bottles. His eyes flickered back to search Sakura's face, her features relaxed and serene. Without thinking about what he was doing, he activated his Sharingan and memorized the planes of her face. Something about the peacefulness of her expression, the slight smile curving her lips—he wanted to remember her just like this, snoring and all.

He left the room as quietly as he had entered it, smiling softly. With nothing else to do, he made himself a pot of tea and sat down to meditate in the living room.

The silence was soothing, and only then did he realize how frazzled his nerves had become during the wedding celebrations. He concentrated on his breath and emptied his mind. Despite the snow still covering the ground, the day was bright and warm, and that warmth lulled him deeper and deeper into relaxation until he went into a light sleep.

Before he could catch himself, he fell into a dream:

He strode up the walkway to his house, only it looked…different. Where before only weeds had grown in the front yard, now a riot of flowers bloomed. Pink and red camellias strewed petals all over the ground. Rose bushes, little more than bare stalks this time of year, stood in rows by the front of the house. And lining the walkway, purple, red, and blue tulips bobbed their head in a gentle spring breeze.

"I'm home," he called as he removed his shoes by the entryway. The inside of the house was different too. The walls were no longer a stark white but painted a warm cream. Paintings hung on the walls, one, a landscape of a sinuous river, another, a cherry blossom tree in bloom. With a start, he noted the plush carpets lining the floor, embroidered in red and blue Uchiha fans.

A tiny figure burst out from the kitchen. It was a girl, perhaps only four or five years old—and she had Itachi's eyes.

"Papa!" the girl cried, flinging herself into his embrace.

"Where's mom?" he asked, scooping the child up.

"Here, honey," Sakura called, popping her head out of the kitchen. "I had to work late at the hospital, so I got us some takeout. Hope you don't mind?"

Sasuke stroke forward and kissed her on the cheek. "No problem."

No problem? Sasuke's head spun, sudden realization dawning. This was all—wrong, somehow. Wasn't it? His head hurt, unable to make sense of the scene before him.

"Honey? Are you okay?" Sakura asked, touching his forehead. "You must have a fever. You feel warm…"

"This can't be happening," he breathed. He looked down at the beaming child in his arms. At his wife. At Sakura. Who was his wife?

It wasn't real. It couldn't be real.

"Kai," he murmured, and the dream faded harmlessly away. Sasuke's eyes snapped open. He was dripping with sweat. His shoulders were shaking as if he had just had a nightmare instead of a silly dream.

For some reason, Hinata's words echoed in his head: _I'm living my dream._

Sasuke shook his head as if to banish the lingering effects of his reverie. Dreams were traps that ensnared the unwary, and this dream felt as dangerous as if it had been an enemy genjutsu. Wanting to marry Sakura…

"It was just a stupid dream," he snapped, surprised at the vehemence in his voice. Scowling, he took a sip of tea and grimaced. It was stone cold. He glanced at the clock and realized it was past time for them to leave for the dinner party. Scowl deepening, he strode up the steps and creaked open his bedroom door. Sakura was still sleeping soundly, her hands clasped to her breast.

"Sakura?" he called, striding closer to her. He was overcome by an urge to stroke her cheek, but he fought it back. Instead, he tapped her on the shoulder. "Sakura…?"

* * *

 _Thanks for reading! Make your author smile and leave a review:)_


	19. Nineteen: Gold & Silver

A very happy holiday to everyone out there who celebrates whatever it is they celebrate:) Please enjoy this gift of an update. May your holiday and new year be full of peace, happiness, joy, and all that good stuff! ~Wings

* * *

 _Chapter Nineteen: Gold & Silver_

Sakura looked around Sasuke's bedroom. The walls were cracked in places, and bare save for a canopy of cobwebs. Dust coated the tattered curtains, which might have been blue once but were now only a grayish white, letting in a stringy sort of light from outside.

Sakura sat down carefully on the mattress, arranging the folds of her kimono carefully so the fabric would not wrinkle. She took the roses out of her hair and laid them on the floor, gazing at them for a moment before settling back on the bed. An icy sort of shock went through her, like plunging into a freezing lake. She was laying down on Sasuke's bed. How many times had she fantasized about this? Of course, in her reveries Sasuke was usually in bed with her…

 _Stop that,_ she chided herself, her cheeks flaming. Like a diver preparing to submerge, she took a deep breath and held it as she leaned back against the pillows. She tried to relax. But not only was the mattress lumpy, it was also hard and horribly uncomfortable.

She let out her breath in a rush, then inhaled deeply. Sasuke's room smelled like dust, which set her off into a sneezing fit. Recovering herself took a minute. She blew her nose with a honk, then settled back against the pillows again with care, making sure her hair would stay in place.

She forced her breathing to become even and caught Sasuke's scent on the sheets. It was the smell of the forest with a hint of woodsmoke. She closed her eyes and breathed in the scents of crisp snow and metal, with base notes of moss and decaying leaves. She sighed again, clasping her hands to her chest, willing her brain to shut up. She couldn't help but feel the depression underneath her body where Sasuke had slept, and a shiver went through her.

Despite her unease, her eyelids grew heavy with exhaustion. Her last thought was that Sasuke's pillow smelled like cedar trees before she was lost in slumber.

Dreams didn't come right away. Instead, sleep was like an inky blackness into which her mind fell, her body remaining absolutely still. All the stress of the day fell away from her, and her limbs became as heavy as stone.

She heard Sasuke come in on whispering feet, but she knew his gait and his familiar chakra, and she did not stir. He left something by the side of the bed, and he paused. Though Sakura was in between sleep and wakefulness, her smile deepened. When he moved away at last, closing the door behind him without a sound, she thought she smelled the heady fragrance of roses.

She let herself fall into a deeper sleep, knowing that Sasuke would watch over her and feeling that childish sense of security she used to have on missions when it was Sasuke's turn for sentry duty. What she wouldn't give to return to those simpler days when they had been children…

As if in echo to her thoughts, a dream took shape in her mind.

Sakura wore her old genin uniform, her long hair whipping about her face as she ran. The grass sparkled with dew, and the rising sun scintillated on the dandelions and daffodils swaying in the breeze.

"Sasuke-kun!" she called, hurrying after his retreating form. "Sasuke-kun, I'll walk with you to practice!" Ahead of her, Sasuke strode over the top of a hill, his back still turned towards her. Had he heard her?

"Sasuke-kun!" came her high-pitched, girlish voice. If he heard her desperate call, he didn't acknowledge it. His silhouette dipped down the other side of the hill and disappeared out of sight.

Sakura ran with all her strength, but by the time she crested the rise, Sasuke was nowhere in sight.

 _I'm always running after you_. Her thought sighed on the wind and rustled the oak trees just bursting with their first bright green leaves.

The wind swirled, and the sun rose to its zenith in the blink of an eye. As if in response to some fantastic jutsu, the leaves on the oak tree grew all at once, unfurling and turning a dark vibrant green. The foliage sheltered Sakura from the noonday sun casting shimmering heat waves on the brown landscape.

Sasuke stood beside her, silent as a statue. He was older than he had appeared before, taller, all traces of boyhood gone. His black eyes met hers, expressionless and as beautiful as ever.

"I made you something," she said, taking a hesitant step towards him.

He didn't move, but he seemed further away as if he had taken an invisible step away from her. "I don't need anything," he replied.

"But Sasuke-kun," she said, trying to keep her voice even despite the tears welling up in her eyes, "I made it special for you."

He _tsked._ "Don't you ever listen? I told you. I don't need anything." To Sakura's ears, it was as if he said, _I don't need anyone._

She staggered back from his harsh words. "But they're soldier pills! They're useful," she pleaded, as if to say, _I'm useful_.

His cold stare never wavered, and his eyes never blinked. "What I need," he said slowly, indifferently, "you can't give me." The ground under her feet groaned as if in pain, and a chasm opened up between Sakura and Sasuke, separating them by hundreds of feet. Sakura fell to her knees and scuttled back from the crumbling lip of the canyon.

"Sasuke!" Her scream echoed in the newly-formed abyss. "I love you!"

"Tch." He turned away from her. "As annoying and useless as ever." And with that he walked away, though from Sakura's vantage point, it looked more like he was swallowed up by the chasm between them, his form disappearing into the darkness.

 _Blink._ The wind rose with a howl, and the scene shifted again. Yellow and red leaves whirled in the chill air before falling to the ground. Sakura was alone. Naked trees shook their bare branches against an iron sky. The sun set far away in the west, dyeing the barren landscape crimson in the fading light.

"Sasuke," she whispered, knowing he was gone and could not hear her. That he would never return to her. That he did not, or could not, love her. She bowed her head and collapsed. Dead leaves crackled under her weight, and to Sakura, it sounded like the snap of broken bones.

 _Blink. Blink._ The wind shrieked, blowing leaves up into the air in a blinding mass, and the dream changed once more. Leaves morphed into snowflakes swirling over a frozen wasteland. Sakura shielded her eyes with her hand as she plowed through knee-high banks of snow crusted over with ice. Her legs were numb with cold, and her breath came in short puffs that misted the air. Overhead, the full moon cast the world in silver and shifting shadows, illuminating a copse of barren trees just ahead. The moonlight shone brightest of all on an ice sculpture that stood in the center of the ring of trees.

The statue shone so brightly in the light that it was hard to see what it was at first. But as she neared and the light became more diffuse, she realized the statue had the shape of a man. Transfixed, she moved closer until she saw with horror that it was not a statue at all, but a man.

"Sasuke," she breathed, her breath a frozen cloud fanning out around her. She stumbled forward and peered up at his luminous form. His face was expressionless, his posture, rigid. His eyes shone bright and hard, but his gaze was unseeing. How long had he been frozen like this, all alone in this emptiness?

She hurried forward and touched his arm. He was as hard and cold as ice. Without knowing what she was doing, only that she had to do something, she funneled chakra into her palms in a desperate attempt to wake him, her heart thundering in her ears. She wouldn't lose him. Not again.

 _Sakura?_

"Sasuke?! Can you hear me?" she shouted. No response. She touched his cheek, but he was still so cold. She couldn't let him die like this. In a last attempt to save him, she pressed her lips to his and breathed into his mouth—

"Sakura…?"

She woke with a gasp, her eyes wide. Sasuke's face hovered mere inches above her own. He started back, his face expressionless, only the slight widening of his eyes giving away his shock.

"Sasuke-kun," she breathed, mind whirling. Panting for breath, she hauled herself up to sitting and raised a shaking hand to her head. If only her heart would stop pounding so she could think clearly.

"You look terrible," he said.

She winced. "Well I feel terrible," she snapped, with more ire than she had intended. She blinked into the low light and saw an army of bottles lined up next to the bed. She picked one up. It was extra strength cough syrup.

"You might need that…" Sasuke said. Was she still dreaming, or did he sound chagrined?

She investigated the selection of cough medicines and decided, in the end, to take a swig out of each one except for the nighttime relief.

"You're not supposed to mix them," he remarked, eyeing her. "They're not cocktails…"

"I'm a medical nin," she retorted, taking a shot of 24-hour relief. "And this is an emergency." She sneezed. Dammit all, but did cough medicine really work for sneezes? "What time is it, anyway?" She glanced up, but when he didn't meet her eyes, she sighed. "It was incredibly sweet of you to get me all this cough medicine." She forced a smile.

He didn't move from his low crouch, and he still wouldn't look at her. "It was nothing. Ready to go?"

"In a minute." She drew up her knees and planted her feet on the cold wood floor. "I had the strangest dream…" she murmured, rubbing her temples. It was all a blur now. She could recall one detail though, and it made her cheeks burn. Had she kissed Sasuke-kun in her dream? Or had she given him CPR to save his life?

Sasuke leaned forward and pressed a cool hand to her forehead. A shiver coursed through her. She forgot to breathe. "You feel feverish," he said. "You should rest."

He removed his hand and stared at her intently. She ignored his gaze and shook her head, all too conscious that she was still sitting on his bed. "I'll be fine, really," she replied weakly. "Just give me a minute?"

He nodded, then rose. When the door closed behind him, she let out a ragged breath. Slowly, she climbed to her feet. Her body ached, though whether it was from the lumpy bed or fever chills, she couldn't be sure. She scooped up the roses from the floor and stalked to the bathroom, glad to have a moment of privacy to collect herself.

She saw her reflection in the cracked mirror and realized that Sasuke was right. She did look terrible. Her cheeks were sallow, her eyes red and rimmed with purple bags underneath. She snatched her makeup kit from a hidden fold of her kimono and painted her face. She couldn't do much for her bloodshot eyes short of a henge, but she did manage to give herself a bit more color in the right places and less in the wrong ones.

She swept back a few errant strands of hair and pinned the roses back to their places, blue for hope, red for love. Her fingers lingered on the crimson blossom, its petals soft against her calloused fingers. She regarded herself in the mirror one last time and a thought struck her: she looked good in the Uchiha colors. Vain and silly as the thought might be, it made her blush.

"We're late," Sasuke said when she met him at the bottom of the stairs. "We should Shunshin there."

Sakura shook her head. "Let's walk. Please?"

He looked at her with one of his unreadable expressions for a long moment, then nodded his acquiescence.

He opened the door for her and they strode out into the night, the lopsided moon hanging low and fat in the sky, shining brightly on the snow-strewn ground. She shivered, but not from the cold. Hadn't she had a dream like this? She almost pinched herself to make sure she was awake.

"Take my coat," Sasuke said, and without waiting for a reply, draped it around her shoulders.

Was it just her, or was Sasuke acting extra considerate? "Thank you," she said, beaming up at him. His face remained a smooth mask, but she thought she saw a glimmer of light in his eye. She took his arm and when he didn't draw away, she laced her fingers through his.

In town, festival booths still lined the main thoroughfares, lit up under steamers of lanterns. The night was cold, yet revelers still packed the streets, though it did appear that most were drunk and likely did not feel the chill. She glanced at Sasuke and was pleased to find that as they navigated the crowd, his gaze remained soft and relaxed. Or as relaxed as she had ever seen him.

"What are you thinking about?" Sakura asked, taking Sasuke's hand between both of hers as if to warm him, though his fingers weren't cold.

He didn't answer, and she didn't press. She had a sudden urge to lean her head against his shoulder, but she refrained.

Just when she thought he wouldn't answer her question, his voice broke the silence, sounding so pained, it startled her. "Sakura?"

She squeezed his hand, worry creasing her brow. "What's wrong, Sasuke-kun?"

"Nothing. It's just—" He sucked in a deep breath. "What does love mean? To you?"

His question struck her like a crossbow through the heart. She stood rooted to the spot, her heart lodging in her throat. "…Why?" she managed, her mouth going dry.

He shook his head and looked up at the sky, moonlight painting one side of his face silver, while the lamplight cast the other half in golden light. "I just don't understand," he said, so quietly, she had to lean in to hear him. Then he trained his hawk-like stare back to her, his eyes piercing her.

Sakura forced herself to breathe and then because she didn't know what to say, she looked away from him and forced her wooden legs to walk, her fingers stiff in Sasuke's hand.

Her mind reeled, but she used an old training technique to calm down by focusing on her breath. She tried to see all this from Sasuke's perspective, a boy whose family and clan had been ripped away from him; whose older brother showed his love by tormenting him and forcing him down a path of revenge. What might love look like to Sasuke? How could she explain what she felt for him in a way he could understand when she didn't fully understand herself? She sighed.

"I don't really know how to explain it," she whispered, rubbing his fingers between her hands again. "It's like trying to explain how to breathe. It's just…" She trailed off, at a loss. She freed one of her palms from his to gesture broadly at the night sky. "It's this. Just walking with you, being with you in this moment. The feeling that if I were to die tomorrow, I would die happy. Because of this moment, right now, with you."

They walked on in silence until the festival booths thinned and the gates of the Hyuga compound loomed ahead, the paper lanterns flickering over the archway like fireflies at this distance.

"I still don't understand," he said, his voice expressionless.

"I know." She stopped walking and met his gaze, but his eyes were like stones that gave away nothing.

Sakura drew in a deep breath, wishing she was brave enough to reach out a hand to touch his cheek but not daring to. "Just for tonight, Sasuke-kun, let's not overthink things. Let's just…" She shrugged, struggling to find the words. "Let's just enjoy each other's company. It's your last night in town," she said, trying to keep her voice light. _It's the last day of the world,_ she thought, and for some reason, she couldn't keep from smiling.

He stared at her silently, his black eyes glittering in the lamplight. When she could not take the weight of his stare any longer, she nudged him with her shoulder, and they continued their climb through the lantern-lit streets.

As they passed through the gates, where golden light spilled like honey over Sasuke's bowed form, he finally spoke. "I think I understand what you mean—about dying. That is…" He swallowed thickly. "Thank you. For putting up with me."

She laughed and batted his shoulder playfully. "Oh? Are you saying you feel the same as I do? That you could die tomorrow and be content, because of right now?" She meant it half in jest, but he took it seriously.

"I have too many regrets to die content," he said, his face showing no emotion. "But still." He stared down at her, his eyes like deep pools. This time she couldn't stop herself from brushing her fingers across his cheek. It was the lightest of caresses, but it seared her fingertips as though she had touched an open flame. She drew her hand away quickly and glanced down at the ground so he couldn't see the blush staining her cheeks. She wanted to ask him, _What does love mean to you? What do I mean to you?_

But she did not. Instead, she gave his hand a squeeze and drew him alongside her through the gates, her heart a leaden weight in her breast.

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 _Reviews make authors smile;) Let me know if you liked the chapter!_


	20. Chapter Twenty: Melting

Is it wrong to fangirl over your own fic? Lol, I am really happy about how this chapter came out. Thanks to all you lovely readers out there who didn't mind waiting for me to obsessively edit this chapter, and special thanks to **Fanofthisfiction** , beta extraordinaire. Please enjoy!

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Chapter Twenty: _Melting_

Perhaps it was the moonlight, or maybe it was the lack of sleep, but Sasuke felt as he walked arm-in-arm with Sakura that he was inside of a dream. The night was lovely. Icicles dripped from every rooftop, making glassy sounds when they fell and shattered on the ground. Water gurgled in the gutters, and children splashed in puddles and threw slushy snowballs, even as they bemoaned their now misshapen, melting snowmen.

The air smelled crisp like snow, but also full of the scent of damp earth and the first spring flowers, the cloying pollen making Sasuke's head swim. Maybe that was why his tongue had slipped.

Imagine, asking Sakura what she really meant when she said _I love you!_ But he had asked. And not only had she answered, but her reply had made sense, and at the same time, had set his teeth on edge.

When she brushed his cheek, it made his skin burn and his body ache as if he were ill with fever. He could not love her. He could not be with her. This was all impossible, a dream that had no basis in reality.

She squeezed his hand and led him up the brightly lit path, his head spinning all the while.

"I can't pretend the past hasn't happened," he blurted out. Sakura stopped walking and looked up at him, her green eyes shining golden in the lamplight. Unable to stop himself, he added, "And I can't ignore the future, either."

She glanced away from him. "I'm not asking you to do that," she said, her voice so quiet and sad, it made him wish he hadn't said anything. "I'm just asking you to be here with me now. That's all."

He looked away from her and down at the crocuses blooming in the snow. The silence drew out between them. The sound of the snowmelt trickling down the path in tiny streams seemed impossibly loud in his ears. "I…" He licked his lips. "I'll try."

Sakura laughed, but it sounded forced. "Good. Come on," she said, drawing him down the path once more, her fingers laced through his. Gods, if she only knew what it meant to him to have her so close. "I'm starving. I can already smell the food, and I'm hoping there'll be some left."

"We can't be that late," he said, but when Sakura opened the canvas flap, Sasuke realized that they were. The tent was dimly lit by candle and lantern light. In the center, a group of fifty people or so sat at one large circular table, a quiet buzz of conversation filling the room along with the soft murmuring of harp music. Despite himself, Sasuke felt his shoulders relax.

Perhaps Sakura sensed his mood because she flashed him a smile before leading him forward into the semi-darkness. They stepped into a beam of moonlight cast by the skylight, and for a moment, there was no one else in the room. Sasuke was transfixed by Sakura, who glowed as if with an inner light, her pink hair silvered, her glimmering eyes meeting his. The smile curving her full lips was for him alone.

Then they took a step forward, and the spell was broken. Sasuke inhaled deeply, smelling the faint scent of incense and the aroma of hot food. Without hurrying, Sakura led him to two empty chairs beside Naruto. The groom had his arm around Hinata, and he was deep in conversation with his father-in-law, Hiashi, the older man leaning forward on his elbows, a warm smile lighting up his weathered face.

Naruto broke off mid-sentence and rose to greet Sasuke and Sakura. "Eh, what have you two been up to?" He gave Sakura a lewd wink.

She swatted Naruto's arm, then kissed him on the cheek. "I was taking a nap and I overslept, you blockhead," she retorted, though she was smiling. When Naruto waggled his eyebrows, she swatted him again, hard enough to make him yelp.

Sasuke took the seat next to Naruto, and Sakura, the seat beside Sasuke and next to Kakashi. Sasuke took in the other assembled guests and his brow narrowed in concern. "Where are the other Kage?" Sasuke asked Naruto in a whisper. Kakashi and Gaara were there, but all the other Kage were curiously absent.

Naruto wrinkled his nose. "Passed out drunk. I think Tsunade-baachan had a bad influence on them."

A smile twitched Sasuke's lips. He sat back in his chair with a sigh, allowing himself to relax a bit more.

Hiashi whispered something to Hinata, then he leaned forward and caught Sasuke's eye. "I never did get a chance to thank you properly, Uchiha-san."

Sasuke froze. "No thanks is necessary," he replied, an uneasy feeling returning to the pit of his stomach.

Naruto looked between them. "Eh? What are you two talking about?"

It was Hanabi, who sat on the other side of her father, who answered. "Naruto-nii," she whined, "Sasuke-chan only saved Otousama from dyyyyying." She shot the blond an exasperated look, then flashed a smile at Sasuke. _Sasuke-chan?_ Sasuke almost growled but restrained himself.

"You didn't tell me that, Sasuke-kun," Sakura said.

"I guess it never came up," Naruto echoed. "Things were so crazy when we got back from the moon."

Sasuke tried to ignore the itching feeling between his shoulder blades and remained studiously silent.

Hanabi clinked a spoon to her wineglass. "That's because you were too moonstruck by my sister to notice anything, Na-ru-to-nii," she chided.

A server came by and offered Sasuke a plate of food. He was happy to turn his attention to it, doing his best to ignore Naruto and Hanabi's bickering. They acted like they really were brother and sister, and it was irritating.

"Sasuke-kun?" Sakura murmured. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Sasuke shrugged uncomfortably. "It's not like I went out of my way to help anyone. I stumbled across Hiashi on my way back to Konoha. That's all."

"On your way to protect the village from meteors," she said, brushing her shoulder with his. Sasuke tried not to show that her touch had made him shiver.

"With a jutsu I taught him," Kakashi added, his eye twinkling.

Sasuke glared at his old sensei, which only made Kakashi look even more smug.

Hanabi scooted off her chair and came around to poke Sasuke in the side. Even in the dim light, the child still wore her sunglasses. "Sasuke-nii, why do you always look like you're going to bite someone's head off?"

"Because of annoyances like you," he retorted.

Hanabi sniffed loudly and, head held high, she returned to her seat. Beside him, Sakura chuckled softly and elbowed Sasuke.

"What?" he snapped.

She eyed him coolly, eyes glittering with suppressed mirth. Then she leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek.

He sat very, very still. It seemed to him that the buzz of conversation and the low strains of music died away. Everything became silent except for the roar of blood in his ears.

Then all at once, sound returned, and he sat frozen, blinking down at his dinner, the wide-eyed fish on his plate looking about as stunned as he felt. Sakura was taking a bite of her food and studying him with a sidelong glance.

He wanted to ask her what that had been for, but he didn't. He was not able to speak. Luckily though, no one had noticed. Naruto was distracted by his bride and new father-in-law, and all the guests seemed to be ensconced in their own conversations. Then his eyes flickered to Hanabi, who was glowering at him. He could feel the heat of her mutant Byakugan through her sunglasses.

Sakura leaned forward again and he stiffened, but she didn't touch him. Instead, she refilled his sake, then her own, and lifted her cup. Wordlessly, he raised his cup, and she clinked her glass to his. She didn't offer a toast. She only smiled a slow, full smile, her eyes trained on his. In the candlelight, her eyes glittered like emeralds, the golden flecks in her irises bright. She drank deeply, her eyes never leaving his. When she finished, she banged her cup down on the table and laughed, her cheeks flushing with bright color.

"What's so funny?" he groused. Why was Sakura acting so strangely? Was she buzzed on cough syrup? Perhaps she shouldn't be drinking so much sake, given her condition…

"I suppose it's how content I am," Sakura said, resting her cheek against her palm. "That's what's funny. I know you'll be leaving soon—you always do." She met his startled gaze with a sad smile. "And even though a part of me will do anything for you to stay, another part knows you won't, no matter what I do. And that makes this…" She gestured broadly to the room. "…all the more precious."

Sasuke started. Hadn't she said something like this before? Or had that been a dream? The room spun. He forced his breathing to be steady, took an iron grip on his senses, and smoothed his expression. With ninja calm, he grasped the bottle of sake and filled Sakura's cup, then his own.

"Oi, Teme, pour me some sake too!" Naruto called, shoving his cup towards Sasuke.

Sasuke paused, considering an annoyed retort, but in the end, he poured Naruto's sake without complaint. Then Naruto filled Hinata's glass, and she in turn filled her father's—who refused to pour anything besides juice for Hanabi.

When Sakura asked Kakashi if he wanted to join in, he waved his hand dismissively. "I think I already drank enough with Tsunade-sama earlier," he said. "I don't envy the woman her hangover."

On Kakashi's left, Guy Sensei caught the conversation and chimed in. "What's that, my rival? It's not very youthful to turn down sake at a wedding!"

"That is because I am an old man," Kakashi retorted dryly, filling his glass from the water pitcher and then doing the same for Guy, who protested, though it did him no good.

"A toast!" Naruto roared, hoisting up his glass. "To surviving the maniac in the moon apocalypse!"

"Cheers!" rang out the reply throughout the room.

Sasuke arched an eyebrow, then took a sip of his drink. He didn't like this toast. In fact, it made his skin crawl. When the clamor died down, he asked, "Did you coin that phrase, Naruto?" At Naruto's confused expression, he added, "The maniac in the moon." Sasuke grimaced. There was that word again: maniac. He didn't like it. It felt too much like _psycho_ , Sai's obnoxious nickname for him; a description of the man Sasuke had once been and could never escape from being. His hand clenched into a fist, but he smoothed his features, betraying nothing of his inner thoughts.

"Oh." Naruto's brow furrowed. "No, I think I borrowed it from Bee. Come on Teme, it's catchy, don't you think?"

"Hm," was Sasuke's only reply. It was too easy to call enemies crazy, to write them off as maniacs. Sasuke shook his head. He of all people knew that Naruto didn't think like that, that the other man was only joking. But still.

Sakura rested her hand on his shoulder and chuckled. "Honestly, Sasuke-kun," she chided, downing her sake in one shot. Kami, but Sakura could drink. "If you can think of a better toast, you should give one."

Sasuke shook his head dismissively, but he couldn't help smiling a little at Sakura's expression. She was teasing him. "I'll leave that to you," he replied, tipping back his sake. Then he settled into his chair, observing the other guests.

The light was low, which made each section of the table seem private in a way, but his eyes could see even to the farthest reaches. There was Gaara, apparently stone-cold sober, though he was _smiling._ It was unsettling to see that rock of a man with an emotion on his face, though it might have been because the Kazekage sat next to his brother, Kankuro, who looked like he had finished a bottle of sake by himself, and was crooning along with the music, his cheeks flushed. On Gaara's other side sat Temari, locked in conversation with Shikamaru, and the two were so close, they were practically sitting on top of one another, oblivious to Kankuro's awful singing ability.

Sasuke spied all the rest of the Konoha nin from his old academy class: Shino, sitting quietly with Kiba, the latter wiping tears out of his eyes and raising a glass to toast Hinata. Ino sat nearby, feeding Sai with her own chopsticks, one arm curled around his back. Sasuke's eyes shifted away from the pair, then widened when he saw a kunoichi from Lightning feeding Choji from her own plate. Kami, even Choji had a girlfriend?

He masked his expression, but not soon enough.

"Want me to feed you, Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asked dryly, her lips twitching with a suppressed smile.

"You wouldn't dare." When she laughed, he gripped his chopsticks and speared a piece of fish.

Sakura took a bite of food and eyed him sideways. "They're chopsticks, Sasuke-kun, not a Katana."

He was about to serve a retort when his eyes met hers, and he realized she was smiling. She was only teasing him. "I'll keep that in mind," he replied mildly.

She held his gaze for one long moment. Sasuke was unable to decipher her expression. When she glanced away, she poured him more sake, then turned to Kakashi and filled the Hokage's cup despite his protests.

"To Team Seven," she called.

Naruto broke off his conversation with Hinata long enough to raise his glass. "To Team Seven saving the world again!" he chimed, making the surrounding guests laugh.

That was a toast Sasuke could drink to.

Soon the dinner plates were cleared, and the soft harp music swelled as it was joined by a full band. Torchlight illuminated a platform in the center of the room, and the guests flocked to it to dance. Still others milled about the pavilion, talking quietly. Sasuke stayed seated, cup of sake in his hand, though he couldn't recall who had filled it for him again.

"Do you want to dance?" Sakura asked. He shook his head. "I'm not surprised," she said with a sigh, "but it was worth a try."

He drained his sake. It was awkward just sitting here when the majority of guests were dancing. "Let's walk in the garden."

She nodded and followed him outside. The air was cool but Sasuke hardly felt it, as he was warm from food and drink. So he offered his coat again to Sakura who took it with a grateful smile, high spots of color flushing her cheeks.

At night, the garden looked like a landscape from another world. The gibbous moon illuminated the path, making the patches of snow brilliant spots of white. Rivulets of water flowed out from beneath the melting snow like veins of scintillating silver, making the path soft and yielding beneath their squelching feet.

In this light, camellias were no longer red and pink but a bright silver. The cherry blossoms shone white as bone as they suffused the air with their sweet scent. As they walked, the light from the paper lanterns gilded the side of Sakura's face, making it look like one side was gold and the other, silver from the moonlight.

Without any warning, Sakura flashed a wicked grin and casually flung a kunai at Sasuke. Ninja reflexes took over. He freed one of his own kunai from a hidden fold in his sleeve and flipped it into the air straight into the trajectory of Sakura's. Both weapons clanged on impact. Sasuke caught one as it ricocheted back and Sakura, the other.

Before he could demand an explanation she lunged at him, chakra-enhanced fist zooming straight towards his face. Enhancing his own palm, he caught her punch. His whole body was shoved back by the force of the blow, his heels digging trenches in the mud as he fought to maintain his stance. He moved to restrain her but she side-stepped him and—still grinning—she hooked her leg around his calf in an effort to topple him. He funneled chakra into the soles of his feet and neatly spun out of her grip.

"Sakura? Are you trying to punch me?" He couldn't keep the incredulity out of his voice.

She tittered and without missing a beat, crouched low and lunged for him again. It was surprising how well she could maneuver in a kimono, but he would never let her win this fight. More than a little annoyed, Sasuke activated his Sharingan. In one motion, he hooked his arm around Sakura's waist and immobilized her against his side.

She dissolved into laughter, panting for breath against him. While their closeness was disconcerting—he could feel his cheeks heating and his breath quickening, and not just from the exertion—he didn't dare let her go. Clearly, the combination of cough syrup and sake had gone to her head, and he cursed himself for not taking better care of her.

"I'm not trying to punch you, per se," Sakura replied through her giggles. She tried to twist around in his grip, but Sasuke held her fast. "I just wanted to dance."

He sputtered. "What?!"

His grip slackened, and she finally managed to wiggle out of his hold and wrap her arms around his shoulders. Every muscle in Sasuke's body tensed.

"It's not so different from sparring," she said. And without further explanation, she swayed in his hold, tunelessly humming along to the music.

He softened his grip and let his hand fall to her hip. He must have looked as disgruntled as he felt because Sakura said, "No one's watching."

"I don't care about that," he replied, in as even a tone as he could muster. "Sakura…"

"Just for one song," she said, a hint of pleading in her voice.

And maybe he was the one who had drunk too much, because he gritted his teeth and bowed his head, and he let her hold him.

They danced, and he realized she was right. It wasn't so different from sparring. One shifted, and the other followed, their movements flowing together seamlessly. Despite himself, he relaxed. Though he wished his heart would stop hammering against his ribcage. He told himself it was only a product of their little spar, nothing more.

As the song ended, he made the mistake of catching Sakura's gaze. To say she was beautiful, with her cheeks flushed and her eyes bright, would not be enough. She was radiant.

And just as she had attacked him out of nowhere a moment ago, she levered herself up on her toes and brushed her lips against his cheek. Only there was no defense for this sneak attack. He couldn't react. He couldn't move at all. His lungs stopped breathing. His heart stopped beating.

She pulled back and searched his eyes, biting her lip.

"Sakura, I…" He couldn't get the words out. _Tell her!_ he shouted to himself, but he couldn't. His voice died somewhere between his throat and his lips. _I love you._ His eyes searched hers, willing her to understand.

When she smiled, it was brighter than the moon. "It's okay, Sasuke-kun," she answered, her lips brushing his ear. "I know. I love you too."

Something broke inside of him. A tide of emotions he had held back for so long washed over him, like a river overflowing its banks. He loved her, and she knew it. He was helpless as she gazed up at him, her eyes capturing his.

In that moment, the past and future became meaningless and fell away. There was only now. There was only Sakura. He drew her close and kissed her, his lips pressed to her trembling ones.

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 _Thank you for reading! Did you like this chapter? Let me know in your lovely review:)_


	21. Twenty-One: Steal My Dreams

Hey friends, welcome back to the saga of Sakura and Sasuke. Sorry for the wait: I had some health and life issues, though thankfully, I am doing much better now :) Also, this chapter was wicked hard to write. I actually printed it out and kept the rough draft by my bedside table, furiously scribbling revision notes and new passages when I could steal a few minutes before bed. Special thanks to both **fanofthisfiction** and **Sakura's Unicorn** for beta'ing. You each had unique and awesome things to add and fix!

Since it's been a little while since I updated, I thought I'd offer you guys a CONTEST PRIZE. There's going to be a mystery at the end of the chapter. **The first person to guess the answer to the question in their review wins a SasuSaku one-shot:)** If you win, you'll pick three words to be the title of the story. Leave your guess in your review!

And now, enjoy!

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 _Chapter Twenty-One: Steal My Dreams_

Sakura wondered if she should pinch herself but didn't dare because if this was a genjutsu, she never wanted to wake up. Sasuke held her close and, with her ear pressed to his chest, she could hear his heart beating a wild rhythm that matched her own. He had kissed her! She closed her eyes and leaned into his embrace. Tears sprang to her eyes, but she couldn't understand why because she had never been so happy.

He loved her. That kiss hadn't lied, and his heart thundering in her ears told her it was true.

They held each other for a long time, Sakura's arms wrapped tightly around Sasuke as if she would never let him go. Then, still clinging to each other, they walked down the garden path, lanterns casting golden halos over their heads. She twined her arm around his waist while his arm encircled her shoulders, a comforting weight. They didn't speak; they didn't have to.

By the arching gates strung with paper lanterns, they paused under the sheltering canopy of a blossoming cherry tree. Sasuke turned to Sakura and kissed her and kissed her, his lips finding purchase on her neck, her ear, her lips. A breeze blew softly through the branches, dusting them with shimmering snow and pink blossoms.

Sakura felt like she was floating, flying, soaring high into the starry night. She ran her fingers through Sasuke's thick hair, twisting the unruly locks and drawing him closer, deepening the kiss.

When they parted, Sakura gasped for breath. She almost asked him what had changed, but she snapped her jaw shut and instead, nuzzled into the crook of his neck. She was afraid that if she spoke, she would break the spell. She closed her eyes and brushed away the last of her tears. To calm herself, she inhaled deeply, the faint smell of snow mixing with the scent of flowers perfuming the air.

She took his arm in hers once more and leaned her head on his shoulder, letting him lead her through the streets sparkling with snowmelt. In the distance, a song echoed from a bar, though it was impossible to place the tune, garbled as it was by distance and drunkenness.

Everything looked so beautiful tonight, as if each house, each tree, each cobblestone shone with an inner light. It was like she was seeing everything for the first time: the full moon hanging low in the sky, veiled by violet clouds; the fluttering of streamers on festival stalls closed for the night.

Even the trash in the street took on new beauty, like the red candy wrapper rattling as it danced over the cobblestones. The breeze gusted down the street, blowing the aroma of burnt sugar and fried dough from the shuttered festival booths. The night was magical.

Sakura could feel Sasuke looking at her, making her skin prickle. Heat rushed to her cheeks as she met his gaze. For the first time, his expression was unguarded. It was like looking into a still pool, and she was able to see clearly into the liquid depths of his eyes. He loved her. He loved her, he loved her, he loved her. Her heartbeat quickened. He ran his fingertips along her jaw; she kissed his palm.

Was it possible to die of happiness? Her heart was so full of joy, she thought it might burst. How many long, lonely years had she waited for this moment? Now that it was happening—no longer a dream, but really, truly happening!—she was dizzy with emotion and more intoxicated than she had ever been.

A smile touched her lips at the thought. She recalled a time just after the war when a medical nin had tended her wounds. First, the oozing acid burns on her skin had been soothed with a healing balm, bringing such intense, cooling relief, Sakura had thought she might faint. Then her battered system had been flooded with healing chakra, so sweet and cool to her injured body, she had been lifted into a state of euphoria. She had helped her comrades win the war, and Sasuke had returned to Team Seven. She could finally and completely allow herself to relax.

If that healing had been exhilarating, then this moment with Sasuke was that multiplied by a thousand. This wasn't just Sasuke returning to their squad—Sasuke was returning to her. She grinned, even as tears brimmed her eyes.

Sasuke tilted his head, looking at her with bird-like intensity as if he was wondering what she was thinking. Then he leaned forward and kissed her again, his breath becoming her breath. All the years of loneliness fell away from her as she leaned into his caress. If she died tomorrow—if the world ended once and for all—she would truly have no regrets.

It seemed to take no time at all to walk to Sasuke's house. He led her inside, the door creaking open. They didn't turn on the lights. The outer layer of Sakura's kimono fell somewhere on the stairs, the inner layer, on the second-floor landing. Though her fingers shook, she managed to tumble the fine silk of Sasuke's garments by the open door to his bedroom.

This was another kind of dance, no different from sparring or the dance in the garden. Except, there were no weapons and no music. No words. Not until the end, when they lay tangled in each other's arms, Sakura's head pillowed on his bare chest.

"I love you," she said, leaning up to whisper into the hollow of his neck.

He bent towards her and kissed the corner of her mouth. It was enough.

#

Sasuke's eyes closed, his arm resting on the curve of Sakura's waist, her body curled up against his. He fell into a deep sleep and dreamed.

He was walking to his home, the front flowerbeds teaming with spring blossoms, the aroma of baking bread wafting out from the open windows. He heard laughter coming from inside, and he smiled, feeling a contentedness he had not experienced since childhood.

"Tadaima," he called as he removed his shoes by the door. He heard a squeal and the thunder of tiny feet before a child burst into view, her face beaming with happiness.

"Papa!"

He scooped her up and grinned. Sakura stepped out from the kitchen, wiping her flour-dusted hands on her apron before flinging her arms around him and kissing him on the cheek. "Welcome home, honey."

This felt…right. This was how it should be.

He was home.

#

Sakura fell into a deep, peaceful sleep. But as the night drew on, she tossed and turned as dreams plagued her.

She found herself on the moon again, high up in a tower of Toneri's palace. Her leg was held captive in the chakra-resistant manacle once more. The huge, floor-to-ceiling windows dwarfed her as she peered out at the horizon. She turned her face to the false sun illuminating the jagged face of the planet, outlining its steep dunes and stone spires. Nothing moved in the barren landscape. The silence that settled over her was heavy and suffocating.

She crept as close to the window as her chains allowed, scanning the distance for a rider who would never come for her.

"Sasuke…" The name escaped her lips with a sigh. Tears trickled down her cheeks. She did not bother to wipe them away.

#

Enemies surrounded Sasuke, but he wasn't afraid. Broken and bleeding as he was, he knew he could kill them. But he also knew that he might die trying.

Overhead, the moon was a pale sickle half-hidden by the clouds. Even in this dim light, he had no trouble seeing his enemies, men cloaked head to foot in swathes of black shadow. The only portion of their faces he could see clearly were their eyes whirling red with stolen Sharingan. He would kill these impostors and avenge his clan.

The enemy shinobi tensed, ready to attack again when one lone figure strode forward. He was taller than the rest but thin, his cloak hanging at odd angles as if he was nothing more than bones. He raised one skeletal finger to the starless sky, and the rest parted before him and hung back, their red eyes never leaving Sasuke.

"Give up," the leader boomed.

Sasuke spat on the dry ground and stalked forward, each footstep raising clouds of silvery dust. "I'll give up when I'm dead."

The man chuckled, a grating sound, his eyes glinting a bloody red. "But will you give up before she dies?" The enemy drew back his cloak with a flourish, revealing Sakura's limp form in his arms. He pressed a kunai against her neck, drawing a thin line of blood.

Sasuke froze, every muscle in his body taut. The color drained from his face.

The enemy laughed again, pressing the blade tighter against Sakura's throat. Three drops of blood fell from the tip of his knife to splatter in the dust. "Give up, Uchiha Sasuke."

Sasuke trembled, rage and panic flooding him. His vision swam with red as his scream reverberated into the still night.

#

"Mama, when is Papa coming home?" Sakura's daughter asked. Two dark eyes gazed up at her, questioning.

Sakura smiled even as her own eyes welled up with tears. She blinked down at the child who looked so much like her father. "Soon," Sakura replied, though the words sounded hollow, even to her. "When Papa's done with his mission."

The girl sniffled. "He won't miss my birthday again…" Her bottom lip trembled. "Will he?"

Sakura couldn't answer. Instead, she gathered the child into her arms, turning her face away so the poor young one couldn't see the tears coursing down her cheeks.

#

His enemy chuckled, bony hands weaving chakra around Sasuke into a thick, smothering cocoon. Dead leaves rattled in the dry breeze, and dust swirled about his feet, but Sasuke couldn't move, couldn't even blink. He was trapped. Terror coursed through his veins like a bitter, icy poison as he fought uselessly against invisible restraints.

Sasuke was no stranger to terror; the emotion had haunted his childhood, had given him dreadful insight into controlling others through genjutsu. Sasuke was a master of crafting horrors, of finding his enemies' deepest, most debilitating fear and attacking them with it.

Once, he had cast this very scenario over Sakura, a genjutsu where Sasuke stabbed Sakura through the heart over and over again. He hadn't done it out of hatred; it had been a message. _This is what will happen if you are close to me, if you trust me. Don't love me._

But she hadn't stopped loving him. And despite swearing to protect Sakura—to never hurt her again—here he was. _Sakura, I never told you. I never wanted you to know. We share the same nightmare._

The terror he experienced the night his brother murdered his entire clan was nothing compared this. If Sasuke could have commanded his heart to stop beating, his lungs to stop breathing, he would have done so without hesitation. But though his Sharingan whirled, and his muscles strained until sweat broke out in icy rivulets along his flesh, it was all for nothing. The web of chakra held him frozen to the spot.

His enemy laughed lowly, his spidery hands poised in the air on the verge of attack. There was a pause when even the wind held its breath. The dust settled, and the leaves remained silent.

The man grinned, white teeth glinting in the low light. "Kill her," he commanded.

Sasuke's body jerked forward though his mind cried for him to stop. Before him, Sakura lay paralyzed, her eyes wide and pleading. Sasuke could not even scream as his knife plunged deep into her shuddering breast.

#

The full moon rose above Sakura, its milky-white light shining on a silvery garden. Rose bushes of every size and variety twined around archways or stood in manicured rows. The heady fragrance made her feel drunk.

The moonlight shifted, and a dark shape hovered on the edge of her vision. She whirled around, ready to attack. Then she relaxed.

"Sasuke-kun?" she called, stepping toward the dark silhouette. She couldn't see him clearly, but she knew it was him.

He stepped out of the shadow and into the silver light, which made his face look alabaster pale. He paused, studying her, his expression masked. He took her hand in his. "I'll never be able to give you what you want, Sakura."

She shook her head and gripped his hand so tightly in hers, her fingers ached. "You don't need to give me anything," she replied fiercely. "Your love is enough." She lifted a trembling hand to his face and cupped his cheek, forcing him to look into her eyes.

"And what if it's not enough?" he asked, his voice breaking. He turned his face away from her, but she held on fast and did not let him pull away.

"It will be," she insisted. She leaned forward and kissed him, his lips tasting like salt.

The moon seemed to glow brighter and brighter until Sakura had to close her eyes against the light.

 _Love is blind_ , she heard a voice sing, the words soft and lilting. With a smile, Sakura fell into a deep slumber, the dream dissolving back into darkness.

#

"And what if it's not enough?" Sasuke asked, his iron mask of calm cracking, his voice shaking.

"It will be," Sakura said, and her lips met his. She tasted like roses. The fragrance of the garden—of her—made him lightheaded. But how could he be enough? How could he ever make up for the past? For what he had done to her?

He tried to pull away, but she drew him closer and kissed his cheek. "Love is blind," she whispered, then closed her eyes and smiled as she dissolved into petals on the wind. Sasuke was left holding nothing.

He stared down at his empty hand. He couldn't understand any of this. His feelings contradicted everything logical thing he knew he should do. He was supposed to protect Sakura—not hurt her again.

Heart aching, he wrenched himself out of the dream, eyes snapping open. Sweat covered his skin. Sakura was still curled against him and snoring softly, her curves illuminated by the faint moonlight. With care, he freed himself from her embrace, feeling the loss of her keenly as he stepped out of bed. He had made a mistake. He knew that he had. But he couldn't bring himself to regret it.

Perhaps that was the biggest crime of all.

His skin prickled as if it fit him too tightly, and his forehead felt feverishly hot. He couldn't stay here, couldn't face Sakura yet. He needed to think. He strode to his closet and put on a uniform, then sprinted soundlessly out the door and down the stairwell. He put on his coat and paused by the entryway, listening. There was no sound from Sakura. Without wasting another minute, he threw open the door and disappeared into the night, the moon hanging low over the horizon, the sky just beginning to pale with the light of false dawn.

#

Weak sunlight shone through the threadbare curtains. Sakura's eyes fluttered open, and for a moment, she wasn't sure where she was. Then memory returned in a rush. She twisted in the bed, her hand falling on the empty depression beside her.

Fear, cold and constricting, rushed through her in an icy wave. She fought it off, forced herself to breathe. She wrapped the sheet around her naked body then half-stumbled, half-fell out of bed. She didn't have the voice to call out for him. Instead, she moved in a flurry of white sheets out of the bedroom and onto the stairwell landing, cold feet slapping the wooden floor.

His packed bags were still by the front door. She relaxed, if only a little, and the tightness in her throat eased. "Sasuke-kun?" she called shrilly. No answer.

She hurried down the steps and into the kitchen, where a lone spider scuttled across the dusty countertop. Still no sign of him.

Where could he have gone? Why had he left? Had she done something wrong? Before fear could grip her again in its icy talons, she did basic Genin breathing exercises, forcing herself to calm. _Be logical_ , Sakura told herself, even as the river of terror threatened to overflow her tenuous control. _He wouldn't leave without a word. He loves you._

"He loves me," she breathed, her voice ragged. She sat down on the bottom step and leaned against the wall, her hand falling onto Sasuke's pack. Last night had been so beautiful. Everything had made sense— _they_ had made sense. Now Sakura shivered and pulled her knees into her chest, feeling more alone than ever. Did Sasuke regret sleeping with her? Why had he left? _Stop that,_ Sakura chided herself. _Think logically!_

"If I were Sasuke," she said aloud, her fingers gripping the bedroll strapped atop his bag, "what would I be thinking?" Her lips twitched into a wry smile as an answer came to her. "He wouldn't want to hurt me. I'm certain of that. Though he's a bastard at doing it anyway." She snorted. That line of thinking wouldn't help.

She had to try to see things from Sasuke's perspective. "If I were Sasuke-kun…I would probably be freaking out. And in pain. I'd probably need to go somewhere quiet to think." She sighed, letting out a long breath. How long had Sasuke been gone? He would come back to her…wouldn't he?

She held her head in her hands and drew another deep breath, then another. "He loves me," she whispered, pulling the sheet around her more tightly. She squeezed her eyes shut, refusing to sob. "He loves me!" she shouted, her voice ringing like a battle cry through the empty house.

She stood abruptly, grim determination pressing her lips into a thin line. She strode back to the bedroom, cast off the sheet, and dressed herself properly. She took time to comb her hair with her fingers; the action was soothing and gave her time to think.

Sakura knew Sasuke better than anyone else, with the exception of Naruto. Sasuke needed her now, she knew that. He needed comfort and likely, a reality check. And, Sakura admitted, she needed reassurance that he hadn't changed his mind about her. She shook her head and gritted her teeth. When she found him, she was going to make him promise that he would come back to her. She would make him swear that he was hers! She tugged too hard at a knot in her tangled tresses and bit back a yelp of pain. Sasuke might love her, true, but would he allow himself to be with her?

"I'll figure that out later," she muttered to herself, sweeping back her hair into a simple ponytail. She bit her lip and went through a list of places Sasuke might be, weighing all the possibilities in her mind. Her brow furrowed. Then she smiled, a flash of insight coming to her. The last of her fear drained out of her like puss from a wound. Sasuke was still in Konoha, and Sakura would find him—because she knew exactly where he must be.

* * *

 _First person to guess where Sasuke is gets a SasuSaku one-shot. Leave your guess in your review:) Thanks for being the best readers ever!_


	22. Chapter Twenty-Two: Promises

Holy cow, this was a doozy of a chapter to write. I couldn't have done it without my most excellent beta, **Fanofthisfiction.** And thanks to all my lovely readers and reviewers who keep lighting a fire under my butt to update.

CONTEST WINNER: so this was a pretty close contest between two readers: umnia guessed the Uchiha Cemetary, and caribbianbeauty17 guessed his parents' grave. Since caribbianbeauty17 guessed first, and her guess was more specific, the win goes to her. Honorable mention for umnia! Gift fic to come soon. Thanks, everyone, for your guesses!

And now, SasuSaku :)

* * *

Chapter Twenty-Two: Promises

Sasuke wasn't sure how long he knelt by the grave, lost in thought. He did not notice the pale yellow moon sinking below the horizon, or the sun creeping up in the east, dyeing the sky a steel gray.

The Uchiha cemetery sat on the dark side of a barren hillside, still covered in snow though the surrounding areas were already melting. The place hadn't been destroyed by Pein's attack those many years ago, but it had disrupted the grounds. Tombstones lay aslant and askew. Many were toppled on their sides, cracked and crumbling.

The gravestone he knelt before now was cleaved down the middle in a ragged zig-zag. Sasuke had clamped it back together with razor wire after the war two years ago; now that wire was rusting, weeping bloody tears down the stone. Though it was barely legible, he could still make out her name: Uchiha Izumi. His brother's fiancé. And, if life had been kinder, his would-be sister-in-law.

He stared at the broken stone, wishing he had brought incense or flowers. He sometimes brought white hyacinth and decorated all the graves, but he hadn't done so on this visit. The lack pained him. He rested his fists on the snow and bowed his head, the old familiar pain gnawing at him.

He was alone, the only one living among a clan of ghosts. Why had he survived? What purpose could his life possibly serve? But the worst question of all: Could he trust himself?

The Uchiha were known for being mentally unstable, and it had led to their ultimate annihilation. Why did Sasuke think he was any different? Itachi had killed everyone he loved, with the sole exception of Sasuke; and Sasuke, in turn, had tried to kill those he was closest to. Who was to say that Sasuke would not go mad and try to kill them again?

These were obsolete questions—ones Naruto had helped him find answers to. But in the gray dawn, in front of this grave, those old and terrible questions haunted him.

He had no right to be with Sakura. If he let her get close, he would only hurt her again and again. So why had he let her in? The wind sighed, and the snow shifted like sand, whispering under a silent sky and striking his cheeks. These were no soft snowflakes but bits of ice, and it cut at his skin like broken glass, but he made no move to protect himself. He leaned into the wind and let it pelt his face and gust under his cloak. The icy chill was nothing compared to his thoughts.

He heard footsteps behind him, with the deliberate loudness of someone who wanted to be heard, followed by the groan of the opening gate. He didn't bother turning around. He knew who it must be.

Sakura came to kneel beside him, hiking up the hem of her kimono to bare her knees. She didn't say anything, didn't reach out to touch him. Instead, she withdrew a stick of incense from her capacious sleeves and handed it to him, her expression masked.

He stared at it, not moving. "How did you know?" he whispered.

"How did I know where you'd be? Or to bring incense?" He met her gaze, but she offered him a veiled smile. He couldn't gauge what she was thinking. Was she angry? It occurred to him, belatedly, that he should have written her a note when he left the house.

He shouldn't have stayed in the graveyard so long—better yet, he should never have come here at all. Had he worried her? He wanted to ask, but he couldn't. He didn't have the words. _All I ever do is cause her pain,_ came the thought, and it made him feel more hollow than before.

Wordlessly, he took the incense. He held it for a moment, weighing it in his palm. The fact that Sakura had known where to find him—that she had the forethought to bring this incense—meant more to him than he could ever say. And at the same time, it was frightening how well she knew him; how he couldn't hide from her any longer.

His heart swelled with warring emotions, and he had to take a slow, deep breath to regain his control. _Why does love cause so much pain?_ he wondered. Yet now that she was here, sitting beside him in sympathetic silence, he knew that he could never stop loving Sakura. Even though that love hurt more than his arm shattering into bloody scraps of bone and pulp.

He could feel Sakura's eyes on him, the weight of her stare making his skin prickle. He twirled the incense between his fingers and inhaled deeply, smelling the rich scent of the cedar and sandalwood.

Since the incense holder was obscured under snow, he planted the incense on the snowy grave. He ignited the end with a katon, then blew on it until it smoldered red at the tip, unfurling a thin ribbon of smoke. There were floral undertones to the fragrance now: rose, lavender, and maybe a hint of lilac. The aroma was soothing to his frazzled nerves.

"Who was she?" Sakura asked into the quiet.

He didn't want to tell her. His lips writhed into a thin line in an effort to keep the secret in, but as the silence drew out, and the weight of her stare bored into him, he spoke at last. "My brother's fiancé." He kept his eyes trained on the stick of incense.

"Fiancé?" she echoed faintly. "I didn't realize. How did she…" Sakura trailed off, the unvoiced question looming between them: _How did she die?_

"My brother killed her," Sasuke answered, his voice as cold as a block of ice. "He was ordered to."

Sakura didn't say anything, and he was grateful. She rested a hand on his arm, her face angled away from him. But he could tell from her muffled sniffles and the shuddering of her shoulders that she was crying. He let her. For himself, he had no tears.

Sakura blotted her eyes with her sleeve, then looked at him sidelong through her wet lashes. "So that's why you came here." It was not a question.

He shrugged, laying his hand in his lap, palm up, as if in surrender. He hadn't meant to stop by this grave in particular, but his feet had brought him here anyway. He supposed that now he understood why. Itachi had killed his lover; but maybe, if Sasuke just kept his distance, he could keep Sakura safe…

"Sasuke-kun," Sakura said, lacing her hand through his. Her fingers were warm, and it made him realize just how cold his extremities had become. How long had he been sitting here in the snow? "You're not like your brother. You wouldn't…"

He couldn't bear to say anything because they both knew the answer to that question. He had tried to kill her many times. It was only a combination of dumb luck and Naruto's interventions that he had not.

The smoke swirled in a light breeze, dropping ash on the snow. Sakura tightened her grip on his hand until it became painful, but Sasuke didn't protest.

"Marry me," Sakura said.

"What?!" He would have jumped if she hadn't been latched onto him.

"When you get back from your mission," she said in such a low, determined voice, it was almost a growl. "Swear it to me, Sasuke-kun. The next time we meet—marry me." She swallowed audibly and met his gaze. Her eyes were green fire.

He tried to work moisture back into his mouth and failed. "Sakura…" His voice was a croak.

She gripped his hand so hard, he lost all circulation in his fingers. "Sasuke-kun…" The threat in her voice was matched by the emerald flames in her eyes.

He couldn't look away. Sakura had such beautiful eyes, especially when she was angry. He wished he could gaze into them for the rest of his life. But how could she ask him such a thing? Didn't she know it was impossible? He stared at her, unable to speak.

She elbowed him in the side. "I'm serious," she fumed, wet eyes flashing. "I know you think love is a weakness, something that will hold you back, but I'm not weak anymore! I swear to you that I won't die! I can protect myself—even against you!"

The vehemence in her voice and the pain contorting her face stung him. He leaned over and kissed her cheek, tasting salt.

"I don't think like that anymore, Sakura…" he whispered. He sighed into her hair, smelling the faint scent of roses. "And you can't promise that you won't die." An aching pit formed in his stomach. He clenched his eyes shut. "Everything dies."

The wind gusted through the cemetery. The incense smoke bent, stretching ghostly fingers to the sky.

Sakura cradled his cheek in her free hand. She nudged his forehead with hers, forcing him to meet her gaze. "All the more reason to marry me," she said. She bit her lip, tears trickling down her face.

He couldn't handle seeing her in so much pain, knowing that she wept because of him. She had loved him all this time, even when he had not deserved it. And now, she wanted to marry him—knowing what a burden he would be. Knowing all his faults and loving him anyway.

His vision blurred, and tears etched his cheeks, but he didn't bother to wipe them away. Not that he could, even if he wanted to; Sakura had a death-grip on his only hand. The thought made him smile slightly. He leaned forward, resting his cheek against hers.

"All right, Sakura," he whispered in her ear. "You win." He cleared his throat, wishing his voice didn't tremble so much. He prayed the gods would forgive him for what he was about to say. "The next time we meet, I will marry you."

She sniffled and tilted her face to look into his eyes again. Her gaze could have drilled through mountains. "Swear it, Sasuke-kun."

A mixture of sorrow and love coursed through him, so intense, he almost didn't have the voice to answer. "I swear."

Their lips met. He didn't feel the freezing wind, and he didn't he see the incense winking out, the last of the powdery ash falling on the snow.

When they parted, she let out a weary sigh and hitched up her kimono as she stood, pulling him up after her. "Come on," she said, swiping at her eyes with her sleeve. "Introduce me to your parents."

#

Though the sun had risen higher, its light did not penetrate the cemetery. Snow stung Sakura's bare knees, but it wasn't the cold that pained her, or the lingering darkness.

"Mom, Dad," Sasuke said as he put fresh incense on the graves. "Meet Sakura."

Why did she feel like she was being stabbed through the heart? Sasuke had just agreed to marry her, yet she wanted to weep. She didn't trust her voice, so she sat in silence while Sasuke lit the incense and sweet smoke filled the air.

Sakura studied the graves, which seemed older than they truly were. The stone was pitted, and his mother's tombstone had a spidering crack through her name. The whole cemetery looked like the sort of place children dared each other to venture into to find ghosts. Silently, she swore to Sasuke's parents that she would come back and tend their final resting places. After all, now they were her family.

At the thought, Sakura hiccuped and drew in a shaky breath, a wave of sadness washing over her. She had produced enough tears this morning. She had only a little more time with Sasuke before he left; there was no need to be an emotional wreck. There would be time enough later to cry. For now, she had to be strong.

Sasuke must have sensed her mood, for he reached out and took her hand. His fingers were still freezing, so she took his hand in both of hers. If her grip was too tight, he didn't say anything. She leaned her head on his shoulder and sighed, gazing down at the forlorn gravestones.

She said the first thing that came to mind to Sasuke's long-dead parents. "I'm marrying your son," she told them, voice so hoarse and low, it was a wonder the words came out at all. She cleared her throat but couldn't speak.

Sasuke pressed his lips to her hair. "They would have liked you."

"Oh?" Her lips curved into a sad smile. "Why?"

"My mother would have liked you because you're kind. My father, because you never give up."

Her smile widened a little. "Because I'm stubborn, you mean."

"Ha. Your words, not mine," he replied quietly.

Sakura shifted her knees in the snow, her smile fading. What might life have been like if the Uchiha massacre had never happened? It was hard to imagine Sasuke without his wounds. She shook her head to clear it. What was done was done; nothing could undo all the suffering he had gone through.

She wished there was some way to ease his pain, but knew she could not. All she could do was love him; it was all she had to give. And maybe it was enough. After all, it was incredible how much he had opened up to her these past few days.

He might run from her, but he always came back, because he loved her as much as she loved him. There was no doubting it—he had sworn by the graves of his clan that he would marry her. She squeezed his hand, and he squeezed back.

"I can't believe you agreed," Sakura whispered, smiling a little.

Sasuke chuckled. "I didn't think I had a choice."

"You didn't." She sniffed and knuckled away her tears. "Still. I expected more of a fight."

Sasuke shook with quiet laughter. "A fight? It was more like a war of attrition."

She scowled and punched him playfully on the shoulder.

"This is exactly why my parents would have liked you," he said, still chuckling.

She quirked an eyebrow. "Because I'm stubborn?" she asked dryly.

He shook his head, a smile touching his lips. "Because you're you."

She kissed his cheek, touched by his words. She didn't know what to say. She squeezed her eyes shut and bowed her head, willing herself not to cry.

They knelt until Sakura's knees went entirely numb, and the twin sticks of incense winked out in a last, smokey gasp. The sun finally climbed high enough to illuminate the cemetery, glinting golden on the snow.

"I don't have a ring," Sasuke said quietly. He rose stiffly and helped Sakura to her feet.

She met his eyes, the sun streaking his face with light. She leaned forward and kissed him gently on the lips. "I don't care," she said, pressing her cheek to his. "I have you."

She wrapped her arms around him and held him. He ran his fingers through her hair, his breath touching her face. She tried not to think about his imminent departure, tried to hang onto the shreds of happiness they had shared. But she couldn't help the tears staining her cheeks. Gods, it hurt to love this man.

He pulled away from her slightly, just enough to look into her eyes. His smile was soft and sad as he wiped her tears away with his fingertips.

"Thank you, Sakura."

She returned his smile, though her damned tears kept overflowing her eyes. He drew her to him again, and she hugged him back fiercely, praying that he would come back to her soon and keep his promise.

* * *

 _THE FEELS! Thanks for reading, and please review! :)_


	23. Someone To Come Home To

Ah, the feels! Time for Sasuke and Sakura to part ways, at least for a little while.

Big thanks to my beta **fanofthisfiction** for helping me edit. Also, promised gift fic is on the way. It looks like it will be a SasuSaku four-ish shot, a murder mystery (sort of) set in New York in the 1920's. Stay tuned!

* * *

Chapter Twenty-Three: Someone To Come Home To

Sakura's feet dragged as they led her, inevitably, toward the village gates. If only she had a jutsu to slow down time. But the slower she tried to walk, the closer the damned gates seemed to loom until they were nearly upon them.

Walking beside her, Sasuke held her hand so tightly, she lost feeling in her fingertips. But she didn't complain. She kept stealing glances at him, as if she hadn't already memorized the planes of his face. She couldn't bring herself to speak; she could barely breathe. It was through sheer force of will alone that she didn't cry.

All too soon, they arrived. The newly risen sun painted the walls a pale gold, and Sakura and Sasuke paused under the archway.

Trilling birds punctuated the heavy silence, the beautiful song making the moment more melancholy. Sakura held her breath, her legs trembling, her heart aching. They stepped through the gates together, walked a few paces, then stopped once more.

"Don't forget your promise," Sakura whispered, shivering though the sun was warm on her cheeks.

He turned to face her, his expression masked. "I don't know when I'll return. Sakura…" He scanned the road for passersby, but the only people in sight were the gate guards, who were too far away to overhear. "Sakura, how many days were you on the moon?"

She blinked up at him, confused at the sudden change in the conversation. Why did he want to talk about this, now? Still, she would do anything to keep him with her for just a few more minutes.

"Only a few days," she said with a strained smile. "No more than four or five…" She forced a chuckle. "I was unconscious for a few of them, so I don't remember exactly. Why?" Her worried eyes searched his.

He relaxed his grip on her hand and folded her fingers in his. "This is classified, Sakura. You were only gone from this dimension for a few hours."

Her eyes widened in surprise, then narrowed. "Sasuke-kun? Why are you telling me this?" Tears threatened to overflow her eyes again, but she steeled herself to remain strong.

Sasuke spoke quietly, and though his tone was even and his expression smooth, his eyes were full of sorrow. "Because," Sasuke said, not meeting her gaze, "if my next mission goes well, I will have the information I need to travel to different dimensions."

She wanted to reach out to him, to comfort him, but she knew that if she did, she might weep. So instead she took his hand in both of hers and bit her lip.

He paused and met her eyes. Sakura's breath hitched at the intensity of his gaze. "I need to investigate other possible threats from the Otsutsuki clan," he said, his voice a low rumble. "Time flows differently in other worlds. I could be gone only a few days. Or…" He trailed off, the corner of his lips downturned in a grimace. "Or I could be gone for years." He cleared his throat; she trembled. "Sakura—"

She shook her head. "Sasuke-kun, stop it." She touched his cheek with her fingertips. "None of that matters. I don't care if it takes ten minutes or twenty years. I'll wait for you. I swear it," she said, shaking with the fervor of her promise.

He sighed, some of the tension leaving his face. She smiled up at him, ignoring the tears escaping her eyes.

"I know you will," he said, returning her smile, though it was faint. "Stubborn."

She hiccuped, something between a giggle and a sob. "You're just as stubborn," she retorted. "Worse, even."

He shrugged, shaking his head. "I have something for you…" He let go of her hand. She nibbled on her fingernails until she caught herself and held her arms at her sides.

She watched him with lowered eyes as he fished out a keyring from his pocket. He took her hand again, then placed the keys in her open palm, closing her fingers over it.

She searched his face. "Your house keys?" she squeaked, wishing her voice sounded more steady. She couldn't start bawling; she had to be strong, for both of their sakes.

"Your keys, now," he said, his breath fanning out across her face. He kissed her forehead. "I will come home to you, Sakura. When I can. I promise."

#

Sasuke tried to take a step back, but Sakura threw her arms around him and held him close.

Even though he hated dragging out this goodbye—and hated public signs of affection even more—he let her hold him. He ran his fingers through her hair and pressed his lips to the top of her head. Leaving Sakura was worse than losing his arm, and just as painful.

After a time, she pulled away. She inclined her head up to kiss him, but he stepped back and flicked her forehead instead.

"Until next time, Sakura." He tried to smile, but he feared he did a poor job of it. He had no words to express how much he would miss her—how deeply he had come to love her.

She glared at him, then shook her head and smiled, though her lips trembled. "Be safe, my love. Come back to me."

His eyes met hers for a long moment. He wanted to reach out for her again, but he knew that if he did, he would never be able to leave.

Unable to bear it any longer, he turned away and strode down the path, his lips parting in a silent sigh. At last, he was getting his wish to leave Konoha. And now he wished he could stay.

If only Sakura could come with him, he thought, his heart constricting with the sudden loss of her. But he knew that she could not. He would be going into the heart of not enemy territory, but allied territory, which was infinitely worse. If Sakura was found with Sasuke, it could blow up into a huge diplomatic incident.

But if only Sasuke was caught (not that he would!), he would be acting independently of Konoha, and without official consent. No matter that Kakashi had agreed, albeit hesitatingly, to send Sasuke to Lightning.

Still, Sasuke touched his front shirt pocket, where red and blue roses were twined together, their faint fragrance making his heart ache. He masked his tumultuous emotions carefully though, for he sensed a familiar presence close by.

He hadn't gone more than a hundred paces when Naruto stepped out from behind a tree, a grin plastered to his face. Sasuke could have punched him just to wipe away that smile.

"What do you want?" Sasuke snapped. Then he paused. "Are you the original?"

Naruto snorted. "It's the morning after my wedding, ya moron. You can bet your ass my original is in bed with my wife." He winked.

Sasuke grimaced. "Spare me the details, idiot."

"Speaking of which," Naruto continued, still grinning maniacally, "it looks like I'm not the only one who got laid last night."

Sasuke lunged forward and whacked Naruto on the arm, making him yelp. "Oi, asshole! That hurt!"

"Do you have anything important to say?" Sasuke retorted with a smirk. "Or did you send your clone here just to irritate me?"

"Yeah," Naruto said, glaring at him, "I do. I wanted to say goodbye. And thanks, for saving the village and all. But more importantly—" He took a menacing step forward and growled. "If you hurt Sakura-chan's feelings, I'll deck you so hard you'll feel it from here to the moon!"

Sasuke couldn't help himself; he smiled. "Try not to mess anything up too badly while I'm not here to save you, moron."

"Take care of yourself, asshole," Naruto said, voice hoarse. He smacked Sasuke's shoulder, smiled his iconic grin, and was gone in a flash of smoke.

Then it was just the open road again ahead of Sasuke. With one last glance over his shoulder, he strode down the path, a smile dancing on his lips. This leave-taking was different. Bittersweet, yes, but still sweet. Because now, he had someone to come home to.

#

"Come in, Hanabi-chan," Sakura called as she consulted her clipboard. She wore her crisp medic uniform, her hair tied back from her face, cup of coffee in hand. Sasuke had only been gone a few hours, but it felt like lifetimes ago. Her thoughts strayed to him often this morning…

"Eh, Neechan, you look like you're about to cry, but you're also smiling. Are you thinking about Sasuke-nii?"

Sakura nearly jumped. She hadn't heard the Hyuga girl approach. Damn ninja children! "Let's begin your physical," Sakura said crisply, doing her best to adopt a clinical tone.

But Hanabi would have none of it. "He left already, didn't he?"

Sakura bit her lip and nodded, studiously examining her clipboard.

Hanabi sighed and hopped up on the examination table. She took off her sunglasses and blinked owlishly at Sakura. "Can we dim the lights?"

Sakura did so, then proceeded to check Hanabi's vitals. She noted a normal pulse, regular breathing, and healthy blood pressure. In short, everything was normal except those eyes. With the room as dim as it was, Hanabi's evolved Byakugan seemed to glow faintly with charka, casting everything in a blue light.

Sakura tried not to let her worry show as she placed her hands gently over Hanabi's eyes and delved the girl's chakra pathways. They were raw, tender, and inflamed. Though Sakura couldn't be sure, as she hadn't taken notes the previous night, she thought that the pathways were more numerous than before.

 _We need to slow this transformation down, or Hanabi is going to burn herself out._ "Hanabi-chan," she asked, steady voice belying her anxiety, "can you turn the eyes off?"

Sakura removed her hands, and Hanabi shook her head, eyes still closed. "I wish I could. I see all kinds of things I wish I hadn't." Then she snickered. "I saw you last night, you know."

Sakura laughed, but it sounded forced, even to her. "Of course Hanabi-chan! I saw you, too, at the party."

Hanabi shook her head more vehemently this time. "So sometimes my eyes pulse and burn, and my head hurts. That happened last night at the party, so I went to lay down outside on a bench."

"So you saw Sasuke and me in the garden?" Sakura asked with a grimace. Had Hanabi seen them kissing? Her cheeks flushed at the possibility.

"You're not listening!" Hanabi huffed and crossed her arms over her chest. "Let me finish."

When Sakura nodded, Hanabi began again.

"The cool night air soothed my nerves, so I felt pretty okay and decided to look around. I saw you at Sasuke-chan's house. Boy, did my ears turn red. I ran inside to tell Hinata-nee-sama and Naruto-no-baka, but they didn't believe I could see straight to the other side of town."

Hanabi shrugged, a satisfied smile curving her lips. "But when Naruto-nii sensed your chakra and confirmed what I saw, they knew I was telling the truth." She giggled. "Plus, Naruto turned as red as the rose pinned on his kimono. You should have seen it!"

Sakura sat down woodenly in a nearby chair, not trusting her legs to hold her up.

"So you see, Sakura-nee," Hanabi said when Sakura didn't answer, "my Byakugan is much more powerful than it was before! Which is awesome! I just wish I knew how to turn it off. It's hard to sleep when you can see straight through your eyelids and into—"

"Go home and ice your eyes three times a day, fifteen minutes each time," Sakura interjected in her best professional tone. She did _not_ want to know what else Hanabi had spied last night. "I will send over an herbal formula later."

Hanabi scooted off the exam table and beamed up at her. "Thanks Sakura-nee!" She winked at Sakura before replacing her sunglasses. And then, under her breath, she added: "Some girls have all the luck."

When the door clicked shut behind Hanabi, Sakura rose on unsteady feet and rubbed her temples. It was a good thing Sasuke was not in reach, for it he were, Sakura would have decked him. Then she laughed quietly to herself and prepared for her next appointment.

At the end of the day, bone-tired but smiling, Sakura left the hospital in time to see the last rays of sunlight turn everything golden. Most of the snow had melted by now, and before where there had been bare dirt or slush, new sprouts of green grass showed their tufted heads.

Sakura made her way home in a daze. She had half a mind to go to Sasuke's place—her home as well, now—but she hadn't the heart to return to an empty house. Plus, her parents were probably worried about her.

When she got in, her mother was making noodles in the kitchen and all the windows were fogged from the steam. Her mother shot her a severe look and pointed her wooden spoon at Sakura as if it were a weapon.

"And where have you been?" she demanded.

"At work," Sakura shot back. _Here we go again…_

"You know what I mean," her mother said, jabbing the air with the spoon.

Sakura sighed. It was best to get this over with quickly. "I was with Sasuke—"

"I knew it. I knew it! Kami help me, but I did. Sakura-chan—"

"It's all right, mom," Sakura said, neatly breaking off her mother's tirade. "Really, it is. I love him." She strode forward and hugged her mother. "And I love you, too," she added with a fond kiss.

Her mother _harrumphed_ and turned to stir the noodles with more force than was necessary. "I just don't want to see you cry over that man anymore, that's all. Well." She banged the spoon on the pot lip. "You're an adult, and a shinobi to boot." She shook her head lugubriously from side to side. "Are you hungry, darling?"

"I'm going straight to bed. Long day at work."

Her mother snorted. "Oh, I'm sure," she said, then she exhaled hotly. "He's going to break your heart," she muttered. "I know it! I just know it…"

Sakura left her mother still grumbling to herself, her words leaving Sakura feeling uneasy. Sasuke wouldn't break her heart! Would he? No, Sakura chided herself. He had promised he would marry her. He had sworn on Izumi's grave that he would!

Still, a nagging feeling followed her to bed and disturbed her sleep. She was caught in the same dream over and over again: she was a princess waiting at a tower window, watching for a rider who never came. All the while, she embroidered roses on snowy linen.

She sewed blue roses for hope, red roses, for love. Only the red roses grew real thorns and pricked her fingers every time she made a stitch, until the white linen became stained red with blood.

 _End of Part I_

* * *

 _Thanks for reading and please review:)_


	24. Chapter Twenty-Four: Epidemic

Welcome back. This week, Sakura is in for a little surprise:)

Special thanks to fanofthisfiction, umnia, maxridelover, reddragonflyy, Zessia, and Mizunami for their encouragement. I couldn't do this without you! And thanks to all the patient readers out there in the cyber webs:)

Gift fic, last chapter of _Death City,_ and the next update for _Steal My Dreams_ will come after NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) is over. I doubt I'll make it to 50,000 words, but I'm going to try :D And yes, I will be counting this week's update toward my word count!

Anyone else doing NaNoWriMo?

Alright, enjoy the chapter!

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Chapter Twenty-Four: Epidemic

Sakura started working on their house (not just Sasuke's house anymore, but _their_ house) on her days off, or even when she only had a few hours to spare and couldn't keep away.

She began with dusting and cleaning. That took two solid days of work. A whole family of pigeons had been fossilized in the attic. Rats had taken up in the crawlspace, and a raccoon in the underused chimney. Ninja or no, that raccoon had petrified her when she first discovered it while cleaning out the flues.

Next, she painted the walls a light cream, and the color gave the place a warmer feel. The kitchen she painted a bright yellow with blue trim, and the bedroom, a pale blue with light yellow accents. She bought rugs with interlocking red and blue patterns that cut down on the echoing sounds of her footsteps. She even bought new furniture and a massive painting of sunflowers for the living room.

Ino found Sakura planting flowers in the front garden on the third week of her new labors, her arms covered in soil, dirt smearing her face.

"Eh, Sakura-chan," the blonde said, arching a thinly plucked eyebrow, "this is going a bit too far for a boyfriend."

Sakura only smiled. She hadn't told anyone that she and Sasuke were engaged. It was still a tender thing, and she wanted to keep it to herself a while longer yet, let the reality of Sasuke's promise truly sink in before she told anyone else—even her best friend.

Ino pouted and gestured widely with her perfectly manicured hands, her diamond ring flashing in the sunlight. She and Sai had become engaged only last week. In fact, engagements were spreading faster than influenza lately. Sakura had already been conscripted as a bridesmaid for no less than three of her friends: Tenten, Temari, and of course, Ino-chan.

 _Always a bridesmaid, never a bride,_ Sakura mused, her smile falling into a frown. She wiped her muddy hands on her pants, all too aware of her ringless fingers. But what she said to Ino was, "Sasuke-kun and I are moving in together."

Ino made a squawking sound. "Sa-ku-ra," she ground out, "how can you say that when—"

"He'll be home soon," Sakura interjected. She flashed Ino a strained smile. "Hand me that camellia sapling, will you?"

Ino, instead of tearing out her hair, knelt down beside Sakura and helped her plant the garden.

#

The weather grew warmer in Konoha. The cherry trees lost their blossoms and became adorned instead with tiny fruit. The daffodils withered away while purple irises took their places along the roadsides, and mountain lupin robed the hills in purple. It was one of the most beautiful springs in recent memory, but Sakura did not enjoy it.

"The flu? Again?" Tsunade asked as Sakura attempted to call out of work. "Sakura, get your butt over here. I want to check your vitals—no arguing!" her mentor bellowed into the phone when Sakura tried to protest.

So when Sakura was able to stop retching, she took a shower and tied back her hair. Really, she didn't know what this visit was supposed to accomplish. There wasn't much you could do about the flu except to wait it out. Of course, this flu had lingered for a few weeks now, but influenza could last as long as a month, so nothing was out of the ordinary.

She managed to swallow down a piece of dry toast before dragging herself outside. She paused in her garden and bent down to inspect her new roses, which were just leafing out with tender growth, before she made her slow way to town.

By the time she reached Tsunade's office, Sakura's nausea had already diminished to a slight twinge of unease, and her headache was mostly gone.

"I'm fine, Tsunade-sama," she said as soon as she opened the door to her office. "Really, with just a bit more rest—"

"Get onto that examination table," Tsunade growled. "Or do I have to put you there myself?"

Sakura scooted onto the table, glaring at her mentor throughout the entire exam. The stethoscope felt as cold as ice, and the blood pressure cuff made her arm go numb. Kami, but she hated being on this side of a medical exam.

"Before I delve you with chakra, answer a few questions for me," Tsunade ordered, her mouth creased in a frown. "And stop glaring daggers at me. I'm your doctor, not your interrogator."

Sakura exhaled hotly, tried to paste a polite expression on her face, and nodded.

"Have you eaten anything strange in the past few weeks?"

"It's not food poisoning, Tsunade-sama," Sakura answered. "In fact, I've been subsisting mostly on a diet of burnt toast and ramen. I don't know how Naruto does it."

Tsunade ignored Sakura's attempt at a joke and pressed on. "But what about just before the symptoms occurred?"

Sakura shook her head. "Mostly I'd been eating my mother's food, and she's a zealot about cooking meat long enough to kill bacteria. And before that, just the food at Naruto's wedding, but no one else got sick from that…"

Tsunade arched an eyebrow but only clucked her tongue and studied her clipboard. Sakura knew that look. It meant Tsunade suspected something. Before Sakura could ask what it was, Tsunade continued.

"Actually, you're not the only woman to come down with severe nausea shortly after Naruto's wedding…"

Sakura blinked, her clinical mind taking over. "You mean, this could be an epidemic?" That made sense. There had been a huge influx of international visitors to Konoha for the event. One of those visitors could have been a vector for disease.

But if Tsunade was worried, she didn't show it. Instead, her mentor was smiling slightly. She was trying to put on a brave face for Sakura so she wouldn't worry, no doubt.

"I suppose you could think of it as an epidemic," the older woman replied, tapping her pen against the clipboard. "But, with our advanced system of medicine, you needn't worry."

She reached out to ruffle Sakura's hair, and Sakura was surprised to realize that she had been tensed for the news as if bracing for an attack. Sakura unclenched her jaw and relaxed, if only a little.

"Date of your last period?"

Sakura's brow furrowed in thought. "Huh. I don't really remember."

"Try," Tsunade asked dryly.

"Um… A few weeks before my mission to the moon, I think."

"And after that?" Tsunade tapped the pen against her mouth, her lips pressed together in a thin line. Was she suppressing a smile? Damn it all, but this was unbearable!

"After that, I didn't have one," Sakura snapped. What did any of this have to do with an epidemic of influenza? Still, she knew these were the routine questions Tsunade was required to ask, so she tried not to grimace.

"The last time you took your birth control?"

"Well, I haven't been taking it for a while, since we were in peacetime and I wasn't getting called away for missions. You're the one who taught me that it's important not to suppress your period all the time…" When Tsunade nodded impatiently, Sakura added in a huff, "Then the world almost blew up, and I was running around trying to save it, so birth control seemed unnecessary, especially since I'd just had my period."

"You said you had it a few weeks before your mission to the moon?"

"Well," Sakura hedged, "more like one week before, now that I think about it."

"And after you returned from your mission? Did you take your birth control?"

"Listen, I kept on meaning to get my prescription refilled, but— Oh don't give me that look," Sakura groused. "I'll refill it today!"

The other woman had the audacity to grin, of all things! Sakura hoped Tsunade wasn't this unprofessional with her other clients.

"I'm sure you will, Sakura-chan," Tsunade murmured as if to herself. Then: "Have you been sexually active in the past few months?"

"Tsunade!" Sakura squeaked, her face going bright red.

Tsunade sighed, resting her cheek on her palm. "Just answer the question. Though I'd bet my best bottle of sake, I already know the answer."

"Oh gods," Sakura muttered, covering her eyes with a clammy palm. "Just—fine. Yes." If only the floor could open and swallow her whole.

Tsunade _harumphed_. "How many times did you have intercourse?"

Sakura's face flushed even hotter. "…Three."

"Not bad, Sakura-chan."

"Tsunade!" Sakura squealed, uncovering her eyes to gape at her old mentor.

"Oh, come on," Tsunade retorted, "don't be such a prude."

Before Sakura could protest, Tsunade placed her hands on either side of Sakura's head. She felt the cold tingle of chakra coursing through her, as soothing as taking a dip into a cool pond on a hot day. Tsunade pulled away a moment later, a smirk on her face.

"Well, I hope that Uchiha-brat was worth all the trouble—"

"Tsunade!"

"—because," her mentor continued, grinning openly now, "you're pregnant. Congrats."

Sakura was about to complain about Tsunade's atrocious bedside manner when the full force of her prognosis hit her. She sat there, mouth hanging open. It was like her body had been frozen solid in a single instant.

"That's impossible," Sakura breathed, even though now she knew it was only too possible.

She began shaking. She, Haruno Sakura, was pregnant. So many emotions rushed through her, it was impossible to name them all. Joy. Elation. Fear. Surprise. She stared down at her hands. She was pregnant. With Sasuke's child.

Sasuke had to know! She had to tell him before he left on his mission to the gods knew where, to another dimension where time moved differently and kami, he couldn't miss the birth of their child.

Suddenly anger flooded her, melting the ice in her blood that had kept her immobile. He did this to her and then _left_ the freaking _planet?_ Oh no. Her vision swam with red. She would drag him back to the village by his hair if she had to. She didn't care what mission the man was on. He was going to marry her before their child was born, extraterrestrial-ninja threats be damned.

There was only one person who knew where Sasuke had gone, and that was Kakashi-sensei.

"Excuse me," Sakura growled, launching herself off the exam table, her eyes flashing. She was so angry, she felt like her hair had been set on fire. "I need to pay a visit to the Hokage." And threaten him at kunai-point if he didn't reveal Sasuke's location.

She stormed out of the room and was halfway down the hall when Tsunade's shout finally penetrated her fog of murderous rage: "Sa-ku-ra! You're still wearing a hospital gown!"

"Who cares?!" Sakura bellowed back. With a shriek of rage, Sakura Shunshined on the spot, leaving nothing but a cloud of cherry blossoms in her wake.

* * *

 _Thanks so much for reading! Please review and let me know what you think;)_


	25. Chapter Twenty-Five: Mutts

Hi friends! NaNoWriMo was fun—while I didn't make it to 50K, I did manage a hefty 35K words, so I'm satisfied. Did anyone else out there try their luck at National Novel Writing Month? If so, let me know! Otherwise, hope you all had a happy Thanksgiving if you celebrate:)

This week's installment is a shorty but a goodie; it is probably one of my favorite chapters, mainly because we get some fun POVs. Enjoy.

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 _Chapter Twenty-Five: Mutts_

Kakashi was an old man by ninja standards. Like any faithful workhorse, he should have been put out to pasture long ago. That, or sent to the glue factory, which would have been preferable to dealing with the two men presenting their abhorrent proposal in his office today.

One was the head of revenue services, otherwise known as the tax man. The other was in charge of Konoha's sewage systems and waste treatment plants.

Together, in dry tones that never modulated to show any emotion, they argued to add a tax to cover their new "genius" idea: turn human waste into plant fertilizer.

This gods forsaken lecture, now going on into its second hour, was about raising money for human poop cakes. If Kakashi had been hungry for lunch, now half an hour past due, he had lost his appetite long ago.

As Hokage, his signature was needed to approve this measure. He knew it was important, or at least, it had the potential to generate revenue. But honestly, did he really have to know all the gory details?

He was about to insist on signing the document then and there just to put an end to the meeting when the door to his study slammed open. And there stood his former pupil Sakura, barefoot and dressed in a paper gown, fuming hard enough to rival a fire-breathing dragon.

Kakashi jumped out of his seat, concerned for Sakura but also concerned for himself. The gods send he was not the object of her ire…

Hastily, Kakashi stamped his approval on the documents and shoed the officials away, then moved to close the doors so he and Sakura could have some privacy. As he did so, he noticed his two guards outside were groaning, each prying themselves off the floor and nursing bruises on their heads.

"They said you were busy," Sakura snapped. "But this is an emergency."

"Of course, of course," he placated, face crinkling with a forced smile. "I'm never too busy to see my favorite pupil!" Kami, but the girl threw a hard punch, and he would like to avoid it himself. "Have a seat."

Sakura did not sit. Instead, she grabbed him by his lapels and shook him.

"Sakura-chan," he began, trying to extricate himself, but Sakura would not let go of him.

"Where's Sasuke?" she demanded, green eyes flashing fire.

Sweet Kami-sama. What had Sasuke done this time? "I'm sorry, Sakura-chan," he replied, trying his best to smile. "That information is highly classified."

Her grip tightened on his collar. She pulled him close. "Tell me."

"Sakura-chan—" Kakashi began, raising his hands in defense, but she cut him off.

"Dammit, sensei!" she interjected, exploding in a ball of fury. She released him and started pacing the room like a caged tiger. "This is important! Life and death important!"

"Sakura-chan," he began again, "I would tell you if I could. You know I would. But I can't. Believe me when I say it's a matter of national security."

She rounded on him and ran her hands through her disheveled hair, eyes wide and wild. "A letter. Can I send a letter?"

Kakashi chewed the inside of his cheek. He restrained himself from taking a step back and instead took a deep breath. "…No."

Sakura swallowed hard. "He said he would eventually see Orochimaru," she said, her voice hoarse. "Do you know where his base is?"

"Orochimaru could be at one of about fifty locations," Kakashi replied carefully. "His bases of operation are scattered around the continent. A few are close, but some are over a month's journey from here."

"A month?!" Sakura cried. She stormed toward him and moved to shake him by his shoulders again, but he caught her hands in his.

"Sensei!" she said, the whites of her eyes showing. "That's too long. He could be on the moon by then! Don't you have a comm device for him? A phone? A bloody messenger hawk?"

Kakashi used his best Hokage voice, keeping his tone studiously even. "He will be out of range for this mission."

"Dammit! You're the Hokage! Do something!"

Tentatively, he released her arms, then rested his hands on her shoulders. "Sakura-chan," he murmured, hoping his quiet tone would calm her down, "there's nothing I can do." He squeezed her shoulders. "Whatever it is, it can't be that bad…"

Sakura's knees buckled. She would have fallen had Kakashi not propped her up. So much for being reassuring. If only Tsunade were here to help him. His Hokage training had not covered hysterical subordinates.

Still, it was unlike Sakura to be so out of control. Not for the first time, he wished he knew what to do with his female student. He loved her like a daughter, but he just didn't know what to do in situations like this.

"Come on, Sakura," Kakashi said, holding her awkwardly and patting her on the back. "Whatever it is, I'm sure I can help." Kakashi wished he felt as sure as he sounded.

Sakura buried her face in his chest. "I'm pregnant," she sobbed.

Kakashi stared down at her, stunned. He continued to hold her, patting her back in what he hoped was a sympathetic manner. Of all the things that could happen. Sakura was pregnant with Sasuke's baby.

Well, he supposed it was bound to happen eventually, but the timing could not have been worse. Sasuke was deep into foreign territory by now, spying on Lightning—if he hadn't retrieved the plans for the chakra cannon already.

And if it was true that the plans could help him teleport to other dimensions… Well, it was more than likely that Sasuke wouldn't meet his son or daughter for a long, long time.

Guilt twisted like a knife in Kakashi's guts. No wonder why Sakura was hysterical. The gods damn him, but Sakura was right. Kakashi held the highest political office in Konoha. There had to be something he could do.

But what? He couldn't send any of his nin after Sasuke without compromising the mission or endangering Sasuke's life. And there was absolutely no way to send a message. Hawks could be caught, and electronic communications could be intercepted. If only there were someone he completely trusted to do this mission. Someone inconspicuous but also competent.

The answer hit him like a punch to the face. "Pakkun," he breathed. "Of course!"

Sakura sniffled. "Your summons?"

Kakashi heaved a sigh of relief. "I can't allow him to carry a letter," he said, brow furrowed in thought. "But Pakkun has excellent recall. He can take an oral report, as it were."

He led her over to a stuffed armchair. She slid into it bonelessly, looking as small and frail as she had as a genin after Sasuke left the village. She wouldn't meet his eyes, but she nodded.

 _Pakkun, don't fail me now,_ Kakashi thought, biting his thumb to summon his familiar.

#

Snow. If there was one thing Pakkun hated, it was snow. Cold, wet, slippery, mucky, snow. And he had traveled through days of the stuff. He had small legs and tender paws, and dammit, he should have delegated this mission to one of his pups.

 _Not a chance,_ he chided himself, even as he took a break to lick his sore paws. He was on a top-secret mission. This wasn't for his stupid partner, Kakashi. No. Even the Hokage could not coax him out of his nice warm doggy bed for this mission.

His efforts were all for Sakura, poor, darling Sakura. She would always be a puppy to him.

As a genin, she had been the only member of Team Seven to bring dog biscuits on missions, a habit which she retained when she got older. If he got injured in the field, it was Sakura who bandaged his paws. And that one time he had fleas, Sakura had cured his terrible itching and banished the blood-sucking bugs for good. He wouldn't do this mission for anyone else besides her.

Ooooh, and that Sasuke. Pakkun was going to bite that bastard for what he had done. Leaving the poor girl all alone—again!—with no way to contact him. No way to tell him that he would be a father soon.

The man was a mutt, and not that good kind. Pakkun growled low in his throat. Then he shook his head and returned to the matter at paw: Finding Uchiha-good-fer-nothing-Sasuke.

Pakkun sniffed the air. Yes, that was Sasuke's scent alright. It was faint, but he would know that brat anywhere. But there were other scents as well filling the area, belonging to other ninjas no doubt. Pakkun would have to proceed with caution.

 _I'm coming for you Sasuke,_ Pakkun thought as he dashed through the snow. _And the gods help you when I find you._

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Pakkun to the rescue! Thanks for reading, and please review:)


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